Senate Majority Leader John Thune, in a recent discussion with reporters, expressed optimism about reaching an agreement to end the ongoing five-week government shutdown. Thune highlighted the progress made in bipartisan talks among rank-and-file senators, which could lead to a resolution within the week.

The objective, according to Thune, is to revise and pass a stopgap bill through the Senate and send it to the House to reopen government agencies by the end of this week. "Obviously there were a lot of conversations over the weekend, and hopefully that will bring about the desired result,” he remarked, reflecting a positive outlook on the negotiations.

The Senate is also expected to push back the current expiration date of the House-passed funding measure, which is set for November 21. While Thune has suggested extending the deadline to at least January, a specific timeline has not been endorsed yet. The discussions among GOP leaders seem to favor setting a new deadline sometime between late January and March. Thune mentioned he is "open" to January but is still gauging the situation to balance the competing demands within his conference.

A bipartisan group of senators is working on a short-term funding patch that would not only reopen the government but also pave the way for passing full-year funding bills. This package would also allow a vote on the soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies, an issue of critical importance to the Democrats.

While Thune remains "optimistic" about finding a quick solution to end the shutdown, he confessed to not being entirely "confident" just yet. The ongoing discussions are seen as promising by others involved in the talks as well. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) echoed a similar sentiment, noting that senators are inching closer to formulating an exit strategy, although the specifics are still under wraps.

The backdrop to these negotiations includes the off-year elections, particularly the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. Republicans hope these elections might encourage more Democrats to join the push to end the shutdown. On the other hand, Democrats argue that their motivation stems not from electoral results but from the adverse impacts of the shutdown on Americans, including expected delays in federal food aid.

As the Senate moves towards a potential solution, all eyes are on these bipartisan efforts to temporarily stabilize government operations and address critical health care funding before the year ends.