An agreement has been reached to advance a deal aimed at ending the longest US government shutdown ever recorded.<\/p>\n
A procedural vote held on Sunday night saw senators advance a House-approved bill, which will be amended to fund the government until 30 January.<\/p>\n
Millions of American lives have been disrupted since the shutdown took effect on 1 October<\/a>, when all non-essential parts of government were frozen as it ran out of money.<\/p>\n The shutdown, which was the first in almost seven years, was triggered by politicians failing to pass new funding bills amid a stand-off between the Democrats and Republicans over healthcare spending.<\/p>\n Read more: If the Senate passes the amended measure, it still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives and sent to US President Donald Trump<\/a> for sign off.<\/p>\n The vote to advance the bill passed by a 60-40 margin, the minimum needed to overcome a Senate filibuster – a procedural tool that empowers the minority party to delay or block a piece of legislation they oppose.<\/p>\n “It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House prior to the vote.<\/p>\n A handful of Democrats who rebuffed their party’s leadership teamed up with Republicans to strike the agreement, which included plans for a vote in December on extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n The bill would prohibit federal agencies from firing employees until 30 January, a win for federal worker unions and their allies.<\/p>\n It comes as at least 300,000 employees are expected to leave the government by the end of this year due to Mr Trump’s downsizing effort.<\/p>\n
US government shutdown: What does it mean?<\/a><\/p>\n