The US Senate advanced a procedural measure Sunday night aimed at ending a record-setting government shutdown.
The stopgap funding bill would allow the government to be funded until January 30.
The US government has been shut down since October 1 as Democrats refused to support a Republican-drafted spending bill they say would cut health care aid to millions of people.
The shutdown has kept federal workers at home, while air travel and food aid have been disrupted.
With support from some Democrats, the vote to advance the funding bill passed by a 60–40 margin. With 53 of the 100 seats in the upper chamber, Republicans currently hold a majority in the Senate.
Seven Democrats and one independent senator voted to advance the package.
What does the bill say?
The bill would restore funding for the SNAP food stamp program, which helps 42 million people pay for groceries. Thousands of federal workers fired by President Donald Trump last month will also get their jobs back.
On the key issue of health care, Republicans also agreed to a vote in December on extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
Democrats have stressed that any vote to reopen the US government must also be tied to a vote on increasing ACA subsidies.
Low-income Americans depend on these subsidies to pay for private health insurance.
“I have long said that to earn their vote, we need to move forward on fixing Republicans’ health care mess and protecting the federal workforce,” Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said in a statement.
However, many Senate Democrats opposed the deal.
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted against the measure, arguing that The deal offers votes to extend the health care tax credit rather than outright increasing it.
what comes next?
Sunday’s vote clears the way for the Senate to pass the bill. It will be sent to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives for approval before landing on Trump’s desk for signature.
This process may take several days or longer depending on the degree of opposition.
When the Senate reconvened on Monday, Republicans said they would try to speed up the voting process through procedural measures to quickly pass the bill, and end the shutdown by the weekend.
“It was a good vote tonight,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters after the Senate adjourned Sunday.
“Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to set up the next vote tomorrow. Of course, that will require some cooperation and consensus.”
Edited by: Wesley Rahn