The US Senate has passed a bill to end the longest “shutdown” in the country’s history
The United States Senate has passed a compromise bill aimed at ending the longest government shutdown in the country’s history. reports Reuters.
The document was supported by 60 senators, while 40 opposed it. It is now sent to the House of Representatives for final approval. The bill restores the work of government agencies, the funding of which was suspended on October 1, and temporarily suspends the implementation of President Donald Trump’s plan to reduce the state apparatus.
The agreement is set to expire on January 30, 2026. During that period, the government will continue to operate with an annual deficit of about $1.8 trillion, while the total US national debt reaches $38 trillion.
Despite the fact that most Democrats opposed it, eight of them voted “for”, supporting the compromise. They sought to add a provision to the document to extend health subsidies for 24 million citizens whose term expires at the end of the year. However, the agreement only postpones discussion of this issue until December, without guaranteeing the continuation of payments.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to approve the document on Wednesday and send it to President Trump for signature, who called the agreement “very good”. After the announcement of the agreement, US stock markets showed growth. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin admitted that “the government shutdown has not led to better policies”.
The agreement also provides for the extension of funding for the SNAP food assistance program until September 30 of next year, to avoid possible disruptions in the event of another government shutdown. Eight Democratic senators reached an agreement with Republicans to resume federal agencies. In return, the Republican Party promised to continue the operation of health subsidies.
The resumption of government work will be ensured by the Republican bill, which provides funding until January 30. It does not provide guarantees for the continuation of health care programs, but Democrats hope that the leadership of both parties in the House of Representatives and the Senate can reach a compromise in the coming weeks.
