“Eight Democratic senators reached an agreement with Republicans and the White House on temporary funding for the US government, paving the way for the longest government shutdown in history to end.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: Politico, CNN citing unnamed senior officials involved in the negotiation process
Details: The deal, reached after weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, ensures that at least eight Democrats will vote on procedural proposals to advance the government funding package. This would ensure that the 60-vote threshold in the Senate is met for final passage of the law, where only a simple majority is required.
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The Senate plans to vote Sunday night on the interim legislation, which will later become the basis for a broader deal.
Once approved, the legislation must pass the House of Representatives before the government can resume full operations.
As part of the agreement, the Democratic Party representatives received a promise from the leader of the Republican majority in the US Senate, John Thune, to vote in mid-December to extend the subsidies provided by the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which expire at the end of the year. Democrats will also determine which specific subsidy extension bill will come up for a vote.
The agreement calls for the return of federal employees furloughed during the shutdown, with compensation for the period of downtime. The relevant agencies must notify Congress in writing of the revocation of “retrenchment notices” and the amount of wages owed. In addition, a ban on staff reductions in any ministry or department until January 30, 2026 is introduced.
President Donald Trump, commenting on the deal while attending a football game on Sunday, expressed optimism that the shutdown would end soon.
“It seems that we are very close to completing the shutdown,” he said.
At the same time, the Democratic faction in the Senate met behind closed doors to discuss further steps. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a number of other Democrats have vowed to oppose the deal, insisting on preserving health care subsidies. Senator Richard Blumenthal emphasized:
“No deal without health insurance,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal.
As Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins noted, the legislative package would provide funding for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction projects and congressional activities for the entire fiscal year.