US Senate voted to end shutdown
The US Senate has approved a bill to end the longest shutdown in the country's history. The document has been submitted to the House of Representatives for final approval, after which it will be sent to Donald Trump for signature.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Reuters.
The bill was supported by 60 senators: almost all Republicans and eight Democrats. Forty senators voted against it.
The bill will restore funding for federal agencies, which was suspended on 1 October, and halt President Trump's campaign to reduce federal staff, preventing any layoffs until 30 January.
The agreement will then head to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson said he would like to pass it on Wednesday and send it to Trump for signing. Trump has called the agreement to reopen the government "very good".
The agreement will continue funding until 30 January 2026, leaving the federal government on track for a total debt of $38 trillion and an annual deficit of $1.8 trillion.
What is a shutdown?
A shutdown is a situation where part of the American government is not functioning because a new budget has not been approved, which includes the amount of money needed for government agencies to operate. As a result of such a shutdown, government agencies are left without funding, some officials take unpaid leave, although critically important services continue to operate without pay until funding is restored.
The longest shutdown in US history lasted 35 days, from 22 December 2018 to 25 January 2019, during Donald Trump's first presidential term. This government shutdown was caused by disagreements between the Democratic and Republican parties over funding for the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico.
Most federal employees were sent on unpaid leave, while workers in critical industries continued to work without pay.
Analysts estimate that each week of the shutdown will cost the US economy up to $15 billion.
