US Senate Reaches Agreement to End Government Shutdown

The US government shutdown has finally reached its endgame. According to Xinhua News Agency, the US Senate has reached an agreement to end the federal government shutdown.

In fact, news emerged even before the market opened today. A source familiar with the matter revealed that Senate leaders from both parties have reached a deal to fund the government until January 30 next year and plan to hold a vote on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in December, signaling the impending end of the government shutdown.

Sources stated that the agreement includes reversing Trump's decision to fire federal employees and establishing provisions to prevent such events from recurring in the future. Furthermore, the deal will also ensure funding for the food stamp program until the 2026 fiscal year.

Senators Angus King, Jeanne Shaheen, and Maggie Hassan, all representing the Democrats, participated in the negotiations for this agreement. The forthcoming deal is set to include a new interim measure that extends government funding until next January, linked to a larger package to fully fund several key agencies. This broader legislation will incorporate three full-year appropriation bills covering Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, the Legislative Branch, and the Agriculture Department respectively. According to a summary of the Legislative Branch bill provided by Senator Patty Murray, the Democratic Chief Appropriator, it includes $203.5 million in new funding to enhance security measures and protection for members of Congress, and $852 million for the US Capitol Police.

The agreement does not include an extension of the soon-to-expire enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act—a key Democratic demand—but it will guarantee a Senate vote on the issue later. There is no guarantee that a proposal to extend the ACA subsidies will ultimately become law.

Sources indicated that Democrats recognized that President Trump's firm opposition to extending the ACA subsidies hindered any real chance of a bipartisan deal on the issue, leading some of them to accept a separate vote in order to end the worsening government shutdown crisis.