The United States appears close to ending its longest-ever government shutdown, with senators from both parties reaching a tentative agreement to restore funding and reopen federal operations.
According to a report by CNN citing individuals familiar with the discussions, a group of at least eight centrist Senate Democrats has reached an understanding with Republican leaders and the White House to pass a temporary funding measure. The deal would reopen the government in exchange for a future vote on extending enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that the shutdown could end soon. “It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending,” Trump said. “We never agreed to give any substantial money, or any money, to prisoners or illegal immigrants that come into our country, and I think the Democrats understand that. You’ll know very soon.”
The agreement, if approved, would fund the government through January while Congress continues negotiations on a broader spending package for key federal agencies.
CNN reported that the proposal was brokered on Sunday night by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, independent Senator Angus King of Maine, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and White House representatives.
The Senate is expected to begin voting on the measure between 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday. The first vote would address the stopgap bill passed earlier by the House, which requires support from at least eight Senate Democrats to advance. The Senate would then attach the broader funding package before sending it back to the House for final approval.
While the plan does not include a firm commitment from Republicans to extend the healthcare subsidies that have been central to the budget dispute, Democrats involved in the negotiations said they expect the issue to be revisited in the coming weeks.
Senate Democratic leaders have not yet announced their position on the deal and were holding a closed-door meeting late Sunday to discuss the proposal. House Democratic leaders, however, have criticised the agreement and plan to hold internal discussions on Monday.
If passed by both chambers and signed by President Trump, the measure would end a shutdown that has disrupted federal services for weeks, leaving thousands of government employees without pay and intensifying partisan tensions in Washington.
