US Senate Passes Deal Aimed At Ending Longest Ever Government Shutdown

A deal aimed at ending the US government shutdown has passed the Senate, paving the way for the record-breaking impasse to be broken.

After a weekend of negotiations in Washington, a minority of Democrats joined with Republicans and voted in favour of an agreement.

The vote is a procedural first step towards passing a compromise to fund the government since it ran out of money 1 October.

It will need to clear several more hurdles – including a vote from the House of Representatives – before federal employees and services return, but it is the first serious sign of progress after 40 days of deadlock. The Senate is expected to return for further debate at 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Monday.

The current shutdown is the longest on record in the US, and until this weekend it appeared that Republican and Democratic lawmakers were locked in a stalemate.

Many government services have been suspended Since October, and around 1.4 million federal employees are on unpaid leave or working without pay.

The shutdown has had wide ranging impacts on a variety of services, including US air travel and food benefits for 41 million low-income Americans.

BBC