US government shutdown nearing end - Politico reveals Senate plans for Friday

The vote is being initiated by US Senate majority leader John Thune, who, according to Politico sources, mentioned the plan during a private lunch.

Under Thune’s plan, senators will first consider the House resolution repeatedly rejected by Democrats, and then attempt to introduce amendments with a new expiration date, likely in January, while finalizing a package of three annual spending bills.

Democrats remain skeptical and are prepared to block proceedings if there is no progress in bipartisan negotiations, the sources noted. Republican Senate leaders plan to keep lawmakers in Washington through the weekend to accelerate an agreement.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat involved in the talks, told reporters after the lunch that it remains unclear whether the two sides are moving closer to a deal. Democrats have emphasized maintaining party unity and pursuing compromise.

"We want to stay together and unified. And we had a really good conversation about how to do that," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told reporters after the lunch.

In any case, finalizing the decision may take several days due to procedural hurdles and objections from senators.

US government shutdown

The government shutdown began on October 1 after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on healthcare benefits, a key Democratic priority opposed by Republicans.

The current shutdown is the longest in US history, lasting for more than a month.

As a result, many federal employees have lost their jobs, with reports of mass layoffs. It was also reported that about 10% of flights at the country’s 40 largest airports have been canceled.

Due to the government shutdown, US military personnel have been left without pay and, in some cases, are turning to food banks in Germany as their November salaries have not been issued.