US Senate passes bill to end government shutdown - What's next
Photo: Vote in the House of Representatives expected on Wednesday (Getty Images)
The US Senate has voted in favor of the final bill to extend government funding. The legislation will now be sent to the House of Representatives, according to CNN.
Eight Democratic senators voted in favor of the final bill to reopen the US government, helping Republicans reach the minimum 60 votes needed for passage.
However, CNN notes that the Democrats did so without securing their party’s demand to extend expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies, which help millions of Americans afford health insurance.
The compromise funding measure will now move to the House of Representatives. Republican leaders hope it will be approved as early as Wednesday, bringing an end to the longest government shutdown in US history.
President Donald Trump expressed optimism about resolving the crisis shortly before the vote.
"I think, based on everything I’m hearing, they haven’t changed anything, and we have support from enough Democrats, and we’re going to be opening up our country," Trump said.
"It’s too bad it was closed, but we’ll be opening up our country very quickly," he told a CNN reporter.
According to CNN, Trump is expected to sign the newly reached agreement, which will allow the resumption of critical services such as federal food assistance and ensure pay for hundreds of thousands of federal employees.
This likely refers to the deal reported a day earlier, which helped Republicans persuade several Democrats to back the measure to extend government funding.
Yesterday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said there were enough votes in the lower chamber to approve the bill to restore government operations. He also urged lawmakers to return to Washington as soon as possible to be ready for the vote.
If the House of Representatives passes the bill, it will go to Trump for his signature, officially ending the shutdown.
