US Representatives vote on a bill that could end the largest closure in history

After 42 days of partial closure of the US government, representatives must vote today (12) on a draft law that could put an end to the so-called “shutdown.” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson believes he has enough votes to approve the package and end the impasse that is leaving thousands of employees without pay and affecting public services across the country.

Luciana RosaRFI correspondent in New York

After 42 days of partial closure of the US government, representatives must vote today (12) on a draft law that could put an end to the so-called “shutdown.” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson believes he has enough votes to approve the package and end the impasse that has left thousands of employees without pay and affected public services across the country.

The House Rules Committee met on Tuesday night (11) to present the analysis of the text, which has already been approved by the Senate, and to allow a vote in the plenary session, scheduled for 4 pm Washington time (6 pm Brasilia time). The strike lasted 42 days, the longest in US history.

The draft law guarantees full funding for some federal agencies until the end of the fiscal year, and extends the budget for the rest of the government agencies until the end of next January. If approved, the text would end a “lockdown” that has paralyzed public services, delayed payments and caused chaos at airports across the country.

Mike Johnson appears optimistic and has the support of US President Donald Trump, who described the agreement as “very good.” The ultra-conservative wing of the Republican Party Freedom rallyShe also expressed satisfaction that the text does not renew subsidies for Obamacare, the health program created during President Barack Obama’s administration.

Before the Rules Committee meeting, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Republicans and promised to continue fighting rising health care costs in the United States, calling for the bill to include renewed support for Obamacare. Jeffries said he expects Democratic representatives to “strongly oppose” the text approved by the Senate, because it does not guarantee the continuity of these benefits.

Moreover, there is a logistical rather than political challenge to voting. After nearly 50 days of recess, parliamentarians have been hastily summoned back to Washington, many facing cancellations and flight delays, specifically due to the effects of the “lockdown.” That’s why there are lawmakers who return to D.C. on a motorcycle: Republican Derek Van Orden of Wisconsin decided to make the trip to Washington on his Harley Davidson, a trip that takes about 16 hours.

Approval in the Senate is surrounded by controversy

The exclusion of one of the Democratic Party’s main demands – the renewal of Obamacare subsidies – has created tensions within the party. Progressive lawmakers accuse the eight colleagues who voted in favor of the bill (seven Democrats and one independent) of giving in too much to end the impasse. They are accused of “betrayal” and “failure” by some of the most influential names in the party.

On the other hand, senators see it as urgent to put an end to the crisis, as the “lockdown” has left employees without salaries, delayed flights and threatened food aid programs.

About 700,000 federal public employees work without pay. Another 600,000 have been absent since the “lockdown” began on October 1. Only services deemed essential, such as air traffic control, continued to operate. But as pressure on the sector increased for weeks, the situation began to jeopardize aviation safety, prompting the Federal Aviation Agency to partially suspend operations at some of the country’s major airports.

On Tuesday, more than 1,200 flights were canceled and more than 2,000 were postponed across the United States. New York’s LaGuardia Airport had a day of chaos: 11% of flights were canceled — 214 in all, according to FlightAware data — and nearly 40% were delayed.