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The US Senate took a crucial step toward ending the longest government shutdown in American history, approving a procedural vote (60-40) on Sunday to limit debate and move toward a formal vote on resuming federal funding.
This procedural win sets a maximum 30-hour clock before the measure, which only requires a simple majority (50 votes) to pass the Senate and can be finalised.
The progress follows a stopgap bipartisan agreement to fund the government through January, resolving weeks of dispute over issues including health care subsidies, food benefits (SNAP), and the firing of federal employees.
President Donald Trump indicated he believes the shutdown is “very close to ending.”
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, whose state is home to 300,000 federal workers, was one of the eight Democrats who sided with Republicans, emphasising the need for a “moratorium on the punishing of the federal workforce.”
The proposed bill would restore all furloughed employees and ensure back pay.
The shutdown’s escalating impact on essential services, particularly air travel, intensified the urgency.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that flight cuts would multiply, potentially affecting Americans travelling for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Although the measure’s path through the Senate is now clear, it still requires approval from the Republican-controlled House of Representatives before reaching the President’s desk.
