The US Senate has finally ended the deadlock to pass the funding bill and pave the way to end the longest government shutdown in American history.
According to BBC, after 41 days of shutdown, the Senate, on November 10, approved the funding bill, bringing Congress a step closer to ending the shutdown.
The bill was passed with 60-40 votes late on Monday after eight Democrats joined Republicans to provide funding to the government until the end of January 2026.
Only one Senate Republican, Kentucky’s Rand Paul, voted with most Democrats against the bill.
The bill will now be sent to the House of Representatives for voting and will take effect after the signature of US President Donald Trump, who previously said that he was willing to sign the bill earlier on Monday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters, “There are already some discussions" with Democrats on "what might be a path forward" for a set of expanded health insurance tax credits that will run out this year.
He said, “We'll see where it lands. I don't know the answer. I just know both sides believe that we've got to do something about the affordability of health care in this country, and the fact that Obamacare since its inception has consistently seen premiums go up for the people in the individual marketplace by amounts that are just … not sustainable."
The House of Representatives will now sit together to approve the legislation as early as Wednesday, November 12.
