US Senate reaches a temporary agreement to end government shutdown and resuming federal funding

The US Senate on Sunday reached a bipartisan agreement that would resume federal funding and end a record 40-day government shutdown.

US senators reached a tentative agreement to fund the government until January, following disagreements over health care subsidies, food subsidies and President Donald Trump’s decisions to fire federal employees.

Trump told reporters upon arriving at the White House after spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, “It looks like we’re nearing the end of the shutdown”.

The Senate is scheduled to vote procedurally on the bill on Sunday evening.

Once confirmed in the Senate, it will need to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives before it can be referred to Trump’s office for signature.

According to US lawmakers, the bill refunds the SNAP food subsidy program, which supports more than 42 million low-income Americans.

The deal also reverses Trump’s decisions last month to fire thousands of federal employees and ensures a vote to extend health care subsidies that are set to expire by the end of this year.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said, “This deal guarantees a vote to extend the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans weren’t willing to do”.

He added that the bill, called the “Continuing Decision” (CR) to preserve government funding, will protect federal employees from unfounded dismissals, rehire those who were unjustly fired during the shutdown and ensure federal employees receive their back pay as required by law.

However, some Democrats senators oppose the deal, including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who expressed displeasure that the bill would vote to extend health care subsidies instead of directly subsidizing health care.

“I cannot in good faith support this ongoing decision that doesn’t address the health care crisis,” Schumer said, adding, “This battle must continue and will continue”.