Congress voted on Wednesday to end the longest federal shutdown in the nation's history. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine joined a handful of Democrats to broker a deal with Senate Republicans. The deal included reversing some federal layoffs and guaranteeing payment for furloughed workers.

What it did not include was an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits, a provision many Democrats insisted Republicans needed to add before they'd approve a funding bill. Sen. Kaine joined the show to explain why he voted to end the shutdown, despite pushback from many in his own party.

Kain said on the Politics Hour that there was no path forward on healthcare subsidies without reopening the government. He said he voted only after securing federal worker protections from the White House, including back pay, rehiring workers who were fired during the shutdown, and an end to mass layoffs.

"I'm getting some holy hell, but I'm getting a lot of thanks from Virginians," the Senator said. "There were bad options, and so I have no judgment about anybody who resolved this question differently than me."

He also said he’s optimistic about a December vote to extend healthcare subsidies, given the growing pressure on Congress to come up with a fix.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who represents one of the largest number of federal workers in the country, voted against the deal. Sen. Van Hollen took the mic to explain why he believes the funding agreement won't address rising healthcare costs and will continue to allow President Trump to ignore the law.

Sen. Van Hollen also voiced his support for Maryland Governor Wes Moore's redistricting efforts.

"I believe we should have national nonpartisan line drawing, but Republicans tried to tip the playing field in Texas, and Maryland should maximize its opportunity to protect our Democracy and the Constitution in redistricting," Senator Van Hollen said.

Politicos are speculating that At-Large D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie is considering a run for mayor. With D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser still undecided about running for a fourth term, he's among several potential candidates reportedly weighing runs of their own.

Councilmember McDuffie also commented on D.C. residents raising questions after recent incidents where D.C. police have collaborated with federal immigration agents. He said the ICE raids need to stop. "There's no deal that I would sign that would permit our law enforcement to work with ICE, and I would want to be unequivocal about that," he said.

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Virginia Democrats had a big night in Tuesday's elections, sweeping all the statewide races and winning a supermajority in the House of Delegates. We broke down the historic election from all angles. We dove into the results with WAMU's Northern Virginia reporter, Margaret Barthel, and David Poole, founder of the Virginia Public Access Project.

We were then joined by one of the big winners, Lieutenant Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi, to discuss what it means for Virginians and her historic election victory as the first Muslim woman to win statewide office in the U.S.

During the campaign, Hashmi dealt with comments about her background, including from her Republican opponent, John Reid, who suggested she was supported by "radical Islamists." Hashmi said voters made clear they disagreed with that rhetoric.

"It was Virginians who made their choice known, and the ugliness of the bigotry that my opponent was targeting me with was soundly rejected on Tuesday night," she said.

Hashmi said that, as Lieutenant Governor, she plans to focus on housing affordability, energy concerns, and healthcare.

Finally, Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell took the mic to discuss what the Democrats' "trifecta" means for governing, constitutional amendments, and the much-discussed redistricting plan. He cautioned that Democrats will need to navigate significant budget challenges, which could hamper the party's agenda.

"A lot of these new policies require money in order to implement," he said. "And given our budget situation, we're gonna have to figure out what we can afford and what we can prioritize."

At the top of the agenda when the General Assembly reconvenes in January will be raising the minimum wage, banning assault weapons, and paid family leave.

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All eyes are on Virginia ahead of next week's statewide elections. Recent polls continue to show Democrat Abigail Spanberger leading Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, while both the Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General races are in virtual dead heats. We previewed Virginia's upcoming elections with WAMU's Northern Virginia reporter Margaret Barthel and former U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA).

A split ticket remains a possibility, said Davis, meaning that members of different parties could be elected to the three statewide offices. "Divided government can work very well when you have adults at the helm," he said. "When you don't, it just makes gridlock even worse."

Plus, we discussed Virginia Democrats' push for redistricting.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore is also considering supporting plans to redraw Maryland's eight congressional districts, but some Democratic leaders are considering blocking the move. House Majority Leader David Moon (D-MD), who represents Montgomery County, joined the show to discuss why he also supports redistricting efforts.

On late Friday afternoon, a federal judge ruled the Trump administration must continue to fund SNAP benefits during the shutdown, giving the administration a deadline of Monday to respond. In the meantime, states like Maryland have been debating how to help those who could lose food assistance starting Saturday.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced Thursday he’s allocating $10 million in state funds to local food banks. But many Maryland lawmakers wanted the governor to do more, including stepping in to fully fund federal SNAP benefits. Del. Moon said leadership is considering tapping into the state’s rainy day fund.

“To get people through Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, I think that's really the question, whether we can do a little bit more to at least keep some of the benefits,” he said.

Moon said funding uninterrupted food assistance would cost Maryland $130 million per month.

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