The US Senate on Monday (10) approved an agreement ending the longest government shutdown in the country’s history, ending a weeks-long impasse that cut off food aid to millions of people, left hundreds of thousands of employees without pay and caused air traffic delays.
The proposal, which received 60 votes in favor and 40 votes against, received support from almost all Republicans in the House of Representatives and eight Democrats, who tried, unsuccessfully, to tie government funding to the renewal of health benefits that expire at the end of the year.
The agreement stipulates a vote next December on these benefits, which serve 24 million Americans, but does not guarantee their extension.
The text restores resources to federal agencies whose budgets expired on October 1, suspends President Donald Trump’s campaign to reduce the civil service, and prevents layoffs until January 30.
The bill now heads to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that he intends to approve it by Wednesday (12) and send it to Trump for punishment. The president described the agreement to reopen the government as “very good.”
The agreement extends federal funding through Jan. 30, keeping the government on track to add about $1.8 trillion annually to the public debt, which already totals $38 trillion.
The decision comes a week after Democrats achieved major victories in state elections in New Jersey and Virginia and the election of a democratic socialist as mayor of New York.
The result angered Democratic parliamentarians, who pointed to the lack of guarantees that would ensure the approval of the Senate and House of Representatives, which are under Republican control, to extend health benefits.
“We wish we could do more,” said Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic Party’s second-in-command. “The government shutdown seemed like an opportunity to move forward with better policies. But it didn’t work.”
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in late October showed that 50% of Americans blamed Republicans for the shutdown, while 43% blamed Democrats.
US stock markets rose on Monday, driven by news of progress on the government’s reopening agreement.
Trump had already unilaterally canceled billions of dollars in spending and cut federal payrolls by hundreds of thousands of employees, interfering with Congress’ constitutional authority over the budget.
These measures violated previously passed budget rules, and some Democrats questioned why they would support new spending deals under the circumstances.
The approved text does not include specific mechanisms to prevent Trump from promoting new budget cuts.
On the other hand, the agreement guarantees funding for the SNAP food subsidy program until September 30 of next year, avoiding possible interruptions if Congress again succeeds in paralyzing the government during this period.
About The Author
