Senators pass deal that could end longest US government shutdown in history

The record-breaking US government shut down, which began on October 1, has now lasted more than 40 days after politicians failed to agree on funding proposals.

The stalemate saw Republicans refusing to accept Democratic lawmakers' amendments to preserve healthcare funding - dubbed Obamacare - for the poorest under initial proposals.

However, overnight seven Democratic senators were seen to side with Republicans to break the stalemate, with the breakthrough offering Democrats handful of new concessions beyond those initially proposed by Republicans.

Texas Senator John Cornyn voted to join Republicans in backing the amendments, which pushed the numbers over the 60 votes required to pass the vote - a move that was met with applause.

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The possible end to the shutdown was met with mixed reaction, as California Governor Gavin Newsom called the deal "pathetic".

In a post on X, his press office said: "This isn’t a deal. It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!"

Similarly, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders told reporters the deal "would be a horrific mistake to cave in to Trump right now".

"That would be a tragedy for this country," Sanders said.Others have defended the move, saying they had secured concessions on the key issue of healthcare.

The shutdown came after the Republican-controlled Senate failed to pass a key government spending bill which would fund the government without other initiatives attached.

The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a statement late on Tuesday to announce that agencies should prepare for "an orderly shutdown" after senators failed to reach a compromise over healthcare funding.

However, the Republican party hold just 53 seats in the Senate, with 60 votes required in total to pass the bill.

This is the first shutdown that appears open-ended, with no clear path to a consensus between the two parties.

The numbers meant Republicans were forced to try and get Democrats on side in a bid to meet the voting threshold - a factor the Dems were fully aware of and using as leverage to pass their own bills.

What is a US government shutdown?

A US government shutdown occurs when the country's Congress, the rough equivalent of Parliament, fails to pass finance legislation to fund operations. During this period:

• Non-essential staff are furloughed,
• Other civil staff do keep on working but might be without pay,
• Many state-provided services stop or are reduced,

A shutdown ends when Congress passes a full budget and this is approved by the president, or a continued resolution to restore funding is approved in the same way.

The numbers saw Democrats attempt to advance their own policy goals on health care, such as ensuring subsidies for health insurance for low-income individuals and reversing Trump administration cuts to Medicaid.

However, with no consensus in sight, the Senate voted against the healthcare proposal from Democrats, with the Republican bill eventually falling just five votes short of the threshold needed to avoid a shutdown.

"Affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown," said the statement from the White House Office of Management and Budget.

"It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict. Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities."

In the hours that followed the shutdown, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development was seen to add a message to the top of its website, in which it blamed the impending government shutdown on the "radical left" triggering complaints.

Government workers deemed not essential for protecting people or property face furlough or being laid off when the shutdown begins.

The Democrats' bill sought to permanently extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that expire at the end of the year, as well as undo Medicaid cuts implemented via the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' earlier this year.

Republicans need at least seven Democrats to break ranks and vote in favour of their spending bill.

Republican Leader John Thune expressed his disappointment that the Republican bill failed to pass, but he believes a deal can be reached.

Senator John Fetterman (Pennsylvania) and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada) were the only Democrats to vote for the Republican-drafted measure

"Democrats may have chosen to shut down the government tonight, but we can reopen it tomorrow," he said.

"All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean, nonpartisan funding bill that's in front of us.

"And I hope, I really hope, that some of them will join us to reopen the government resume bipartisan appropriations work, and get back to the business of the American people."

Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader, said the Republicans' funding bill "does absolutely nothing to solve the biggest health care crisis in America".

The last government shutdown took place during President Donald Trump's previous term - from December 2018 to January 2019.

It occurred when Mr Trump was asking for money for his US-Mexico border wall and it lasted 35 days, making it the longest shutdown ever recorded.