US Senators reached a consensus on Sunday (9) to end the budget strike that halted part of the public service for 40 days. Government funding will be guaranteed until January, after a preliminary agreement between Republicans and Democrats.
US Senators reached a consensus on Sunday (9) to end the budget strike that halted part of the public service for 40 days. Government funding will be guaranteed until January, after a preliminary agreement between Republicans and Democrats.
The Senate approved the text by a vote of 60 to 40, thanks to the support of seven Democratic senators and an independent parliamentarian. This is the first step before the final vote, which will require validation of 50 votes.
This measure still needs approval by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. After that, President Donald Trump may release the text, a process that could take several days.
But this commitment divides the democratic field. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke against the deal.
According to lawmakers, the text should restore funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps more than 42 million low-income Americans, and has been put on hold.
As negotiations progress, there is an expectation of a return to normal air traffic and the payment of social benefits banned in the country. Hundreds of thousands of civil servants have been on unpaid leave or working without pay since October 1.
“It looks like we’re getting closer to the end of the lockdown,” President Donald Trump told the press after returning to the White House after spending the weekend at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.
The measure also calls for rescinding Donald Trump’s layoffs of thousands of federal employees last month and holding a vote on extending health aid, which is set to expire at the end of the year.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said in a statement that the proposal “would protect federal employees from wrongful termination, reinstate those who were wrongfully terminated during the shutdown, and ensure federal employees receive their retroactive pay.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who voted against the settlement, expressed regret that the health aid extension would not be approved directly. “This fight will continue and must continue,” he declared. Senator Elizabeth Warren said this was a “terrible mistake.”
traffic
The “shutdown” caused the cancellation of more than 2,700 flights in the United States and the delay of 10,000 flights on Sunday, according to the FlightAware website. The airports most affected were Newark and LaGuardia in New York, O’Hare in Chicago, and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.
Transportation Minister Sean Duffy warned Sunday that extending the budget blockade would worsen the situation heading into the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of the month.
“Air traffic will be reduced significantly when everyone wants to travel to see their families,” he told Fox News. “Because there are fewer air traffic controllers, only a few flights will take off and land,” he added.
After the strike ends, air traffic may take days to return to normal. According to Trump, the budget closure was one of the reasons for the series of electoral defeats that his party suffered on November 4.
With agencies
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