WASHINGTON D.C.—The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is on the brink of conclusion after the Senate decisively approved a bill on Monday to reopen federal agencies and restore funding.
The bipartisan measure, which passed in a 60-40 vote, now heads to the House of Representatives for a crucial vote on Wednesday before being sent to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
The deal, which the President has already signaled he would sign, is set to immediately restore critical services and provide financial relief to hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have been without paychecks for over a month. The legislation guarantees back pay for furloughed employees and reverses mass firings enacted by the Trump administration during the shutdown. It also includes funding to restore essential federal food aid programs.
The breakthrough came after a bloc of eight moderate Senate Democrats broke ranks from their party leadership to join Republicans in supporting the measure.
The shutdown, which began over a political stalemate regarding expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, concludes without securing the Democrats’ core demand for a guaranteed extension of those subsidies, which help millions of Americans afford health insurance. Instead, the agreement includes a commitment for a vote on the ACA subsidies in December, but without a guarantee of passage.
The eight Democrats who ultimately voted for the measure faced fierce criticism from progressive members of their caucus, who argued that they had surrendered valuable leverage by not securing the healthcare extension.
The House, which has been on recess for weeks, is expected to reconvene rapidly to vote on the Senate-passed bill on Wednesday, paving the way for the government’s full reopening.
