by Nicholas Ballasy
Numerous Democrats broke ranks, including Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who represents nearly 150,000 federal employees.
After more than one month of gridlock, the U.S. Senate on Sunday night advanced a deal that would end the longest federal government shutdown in American history.
Senators voted 60-40 to approve a clean reconciliation bill passed by the House weeks ago, setting the stage for a final vote that would formally end the 40-day shutdown.
Eight weary Senate Democrats broke ranks to to join Republicans in approval, Democratic Party rejected the same bill 14 times over the last month.
Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats, had emerged from a nearly three-hour meeting, expressing confidence enough Democrats would break with their party to reopen the government.
"That certainly is what it looks like," he told reporters.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who represents nearly 150,000 federal employees, said he supports the updated spending package.
President Donald Trump also expressed confidence the 40-day shutdown was poised to end.
“It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending," Trump told a White House pool of reporters.
The deal would reportedly give back pay to many federal workers, but would not authorize the extension of enhanced subsidies through insurance companies for Obamacare, lawmakers in both parties said.
A coalition of around 10 Senate Democrats signaled that they will
support moving forward with a package of three appropriations bills,
coupled with a short-term funding stopgap through the end of January.
The
deal also reportedly includes a December floor vote on extending the
expanded pandemic-era Affordable Care Act tax credits for one additional
year as well as language aimed at reversing the federal layoffs carried
out during the shutdown.
A full vote on the measure will follow likely on Monday.
Nicholas Ballasy
Source: https://justthenews.com/government/congress/deal-end-shutdown-forming-senate
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