The US Senate takes the first step towards ending the government shutdown

The US Senate belatedly took the first step toward ending the government shutdown, after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without guaranteeing an extension of health care benefits, angering many in their caucus who said Americans wanted them to keep fighting.

In an initial procedural vote in a series of required procedural maneuvers, the Senate voted 60-40 to move toward passing consensus legislation to fund the government and hold a subsequent vote on extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire on January 1.
Final approval could take several days if Democrats object and delay the process.

The agreement does not guarantee an extension of health care subsidies, as Democrats have demanded for nearly six weeks. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer of New York voted against moving forward with the package, along with all but eight of his Democratic colleagues.

A group of three former governors — Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine — broke a six-week stalemate on Sunday when they agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend funding for the rest of the government until late January in exchange for a vote in mid-December on extending health care tax credits.

The agreement also includes undoing the mass dismissals of federal employees by the Trump administration since the start of the shutdown on October 1, and will also ensure that federal employees receive their salary arrears.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly supported the deal and called for an immediate vote to begin the approval process while the shutdown continued to disrupt flights across the country, as well as threaten food aid to millions of Americans, and leave federal employees without pay.

“Now is the time to act,” Thune said.

Upon his return to the White House on Sunday evening after attending an American football match, President Donald Trump did not say whether he supported the deal. But he said: “It looks like we are getting closer to ending the lockdown.”