On Monday night (10/11), the US Senate approved a funding agreement to end the federal government shutdown – which has already lasted 40 days, making it the longest in the country’s history. The bill now goes to the House and must be considered by Wednesday (12/11).
The agreement, reached between Republican lawmakers and a centrist group of Democrats, was approved by a vote of 60 to 40. The project will restore services that were suspended last month, such as federal food aid and payment of salaries to hundreds of thousands of federal employees.
If the bill passes the chamber, it would have to be signed into law by President Donald Trump, who is already interested in reaching a deal to end the shutdown.
Crisis timeline
- The closure began on October 1, after Congress failed to approve the federal budget. The next day, the White House began reducing staff at several government agencies.
- On October 10, Donald Trump stated that he intends to “fire many” public servants who, he says, are aligned with the Democratic Party.
- Even after a court decision suspended further layoffs, the government maintained the downsizing plan and indicated that the layoffs could affect up to 10,000 employees if the impasse continues.
- The current shutdown has already surpassed the shutdowns in 1995 and 2013 and has also surpassed the 2018-2019 shutdown, making it the longest in U.S. history.
Processing in the House of Representatives.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has already instructed representatives to return to Washington in the next few hours to vote on the text and ensure the end of the shutdown.
Johnson said he would give a formal 36-hour notice to House members to return to Washington and vote on the text.
The government shutdown, which began after the crisis over the federal budget, suspended activities in many agencies and left thousands of employees without pay.
President Donald Trump, who announced his support for the agreement, is expected to sign the bill into law after Congress approves it. It is expected that as the vote progresses in the Senate, the text will reach the chamber this week.
Health support remains at risk
However, the proposal does not guarantee the continuation of health law tax credits, which have become the focal point of the budget impasse.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that a vote on extending the support should take place by the middle of next month. He added: “I am optimistic that after almost six weeks of this strike, we will finally be able to put an end to it.”
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