he The US Senate approved This Monday A bill to reopen the governmentWhich brings the longest lockdown in the country’s history closer to the end. This new step was made thanks to the fact that A group of Democrats ratified the agreement With the Republicans, despite the harsh criticism they received within their party.
Closingwhich has already lasted for 41 days, It may continue for a few more days, waiting for members of the House of RepresentativesShe has been on vacation since mid-September Return to Washington to vote Bill initiative.
the Final vote in the Senate, 60-40breaking the stalemate that had lasted more than six weeks Democrats called on Republicans to negotiate With them to extend tax breaks for Medical expenses insurance Which expires on January 1. Republicans never did thatUltimately, five Democrats switched their votes as federal food aid was delayed, airport delays worsened, and hundreds of thousands of federal workers remained without paychecks.
After the vote, the Senate Majority Leader and GOP member said, John ThuneHe thanked unpaid staff and Capitol Police who were near him on the ground. He said he realized the tension had been enormous over a “stressful” six weeks. “I’m very happy to be able to say we’ve reached the end.”He said.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is a Republican Michael JohnsonHe urged lawmakers to return to Washington “starting now” due to the coronavirus Travel delay Which occurs as a result of the closure. “We have to do this as quickly as possible.”Johnson said.
After weeks of negotiations, senators agreed Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan and Angus King They agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding through the end of January. Republicans promised to hold the vote About mid-December – Extending support for medical insuranceBut there is no guarantee of success.
“We’ve reached a point where I think a number of us believe the lockdown has been very effective in raising concerns about health care.”Shaheen pointed out. He also said the promise of a future vote “gives the opportunity to continue to address this in the future.”
On the other hand, the bill was finally advanced It includes reversing mass federal layoffs It has been implemented by Donald Trump’s government since the beginning of the lockdown on October 1 Protects federal workers from further layoffs Until January and guarantees that they will be paid once the lockdown ends.
In addition to Shaheen King and Hassan, the Democratic Senator Tim Kaine Virginia, home to tens of thousands of federal workers, also voted on Sunday In favor of moving forward with the agreement. Other Senators: Dick Durbin, John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen They also voted yes. All other DemocratsAmong them is Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. They voted against.
Moderate Democrats were hoping that more Democrats would vote with them, as 10 to 12 Democratic senators were part of the negotiations. But in the end, Only five changed their votes, the exact number Republicans need. King, Cortez Masto, and Fetterman had already voted to open the government since October 1.
“We will not give up the fight”He mentioned SchumerPointing out that Democrats, in the process, “sounded the alarm” on health care.
On the other hand, the Senator Chris Murphy “They said they could”He won” and? Giving up will only embolden Trump. He pointed out that voters stood by him after the overwhelming victories achieved by the Democrats in last week’s elections. “We were building momentum to help save our democracy,” Murphy added.
Meanwhile, Independent Sen Bernie Sanders He said that Reaching an agreement was a ‘huge mistake’.
With information from AP.
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