UPDATE: Eight Democrat senators, Durbin, Hassan, King, Cortez Masto, Kaine, Shaheen, Rosen, and Fetterman, have joined 52 Republicans in a procedural vote to reopen the government.
US senators reached a bipartisan deal on Sunday to resume federal funding and end the government shutdown, CNN reported. The shutdown had lasted a record 40 days and stopped most government operations.
Lawmakers agreed on a temporary plan to fund the government until January. The deal came after long arguments over health care subsidies, food benefits, and President Donald Trump's firing of federal employees.
According to The Hill, a group of centrist Democrats and Republicans helped negotiate the agreement. The talks were led by Sen. Angus King of Maine, who is an independent but works with Democrats, along with Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. They worked with Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee, led by Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
The Senate will meet again at 8 p.m. Sunday and is expected to vote between between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to end the shutdown. If the vote passes, all senators must agree to end the shutdown quickly. If even one senator objects, the process could be delayed for several days. The House of Representatives will also need to pass the bill. Speaker Mike Johnson said he would give lawmakers two days' notice to return for the vote.
"It looks like we’re getting closer to the shutdown ending," President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday evening.
{{/usCountry}}"It looks like we’re getting closer to the shutdown ending," President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday evening.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: Government shutdown over? Inside Senate's deal to extend funding. What's next?
Which Democrats are opposing the deal?
However, not all Democrats support the deal. According to The Hill, several Democrats said they plan to oppose it. These include:
- Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut
- Ruben Gallego of Arizona
- Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
- Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
“A wink and a nod to deal with this health care crisis later – with no actual guarantees – is just not enough for me or the Wisconsin families I work for,” Tammy Baldwin said in a statement.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)