US Senate Moves to End Historic Government Shutdown with Key Vote

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The US Senate on Monday moved forward on a measure aimed at reopening the federal government and ending a 40-day shutdown that has sidelined federal workers, delayed food aid and snarled air travel.

In a procedural vote, senators advanced a House-passed bill that will be amended to fund the government until 30 January and include a package of three full-year appropriations bills.

If the Senate eventually passes the amended bill, the package still must be approved by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days.

In a strategic move during intense negotiations, Republicans have consented to a December vote on extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. This development comes as a result of a compromise with a faction of Democratic lawmakers, as revealed by an individual familiar with the ongoing discussions surrounding the bill. For Democrats involved in the funding debate, these subsidies have been a significant point of focus.

The resolution would also reverse at least some of the Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal workers during the shutdown and fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for a year.

“All federal employees, including members of our military and Coast Guard, the Capitol police officers, Border Patrol agents, TSA screeners, air-traffic controllers, will receive their back wages” under the deal, Republican senator Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said of the measure.

The negotiation breakthrough was largely facilitated by two Democratic senators from New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, alongside Angus King, an independent senator from Maine. Despite this progress, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the leading Democrat in the chamber, cast his vote against the measure.

Sunday marked the 40th day of the shutdown, which has sidelined federal workers and affected food aid, parks and travel, while air traffic control staffing shortages threaten to derail travel during the busy Thanksgiving holiday season late this month.

Should the government remain closed for much longer, economic growth could turn negative in the fourth quarter, especially if air travel does not return to normal levels by Thanksgiving, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett warned on the CBS “Face the Nation” show. Thanksgiving falls on 27 November this year.