John Thune is confident that the Senate will succeed in reopening the government before the weekend

The majority leader in the Senate, John Thune, showed optimism Monday about the possibility of reaching a deal in the upper chamber that would end the partial federal government shutdown, which is now more than five weeks old and aims to be the longest in the country's history. As he explained to reporters, the Republican affirmed that bipartisan talks among rank-and-file senators are moving forward and could lead to a concrete proposal before the end of the week.

The Senate's immediate goal, according to Thune, is to send to the House of Representatives a new temporary bill -known as a stopgap —to reopen federal agencies and extend public funding beyond November 21, when the current measure expires. That mechanism, designed to avoid the total government shutdown, must now be renewed for several more weeks to allow time to negotiate a full budget.

"Obviously, there were a lot of conversations over the weekend, and hopefully that will bring about the desired result," Thune told reporters.

The South Dakota Republican previewed in his remarks that the new deadline could extend to early 2026, though exact dates are still under discussion. "The longer sort of runway there is, the better," the senator said, indicating he remains open to a January expiration but fully willing to listen to different positions within his caucus.

The negotiations involve a bipartisan group of senators seeking to balance the priorities of both parties: on the one hand, reviving the federal administration with a short-term extension; on the other, moving forward on passing annual budgets and allowing a vote on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which also expires in the next few weeks.

Thune acknowledged that while the mood is more constructive than days ago, there is still no full confidence that the deal will be finalized, as pressure on lawmakers grows across the country.

However,Republicans are hoping that the outcome of Tuesday's local elections - particularly the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia - will motivate more Democrats to back an end to the government shutdown.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump did not budge an inch from his stance, asserting that he will not allow himself to be "blackmailed" by Democrats.

From the Democratic Party, meanwhile, several senators maintain that their main concern remains delays in food assistance programs. Then, in the political interweaving, there is also some concession in the blue party that the shutdown may still hurt Trump politically, even though national polls show Americans want the government to reopen soon.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) agreed with Thune that there is progress, though he acknowledged that a definitive strategy to end the federal agency shutdown has yet to be defined.