End to US government shutdown in sight as Senate passes bill

The longest-ever US government shutdown appeared headed towards a resolution on Monday after the US Senate voted to pass a compromise budget measure.

The 60-40 vote passed with the support of nearly all of the chamber’s Republicans and eight Democrats, who unsuccessfully sought to tie government funding to health subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year.

Since October 1, the first day of the shutdown, more than a million federal workers have been unpaid, while government benefits and services have been increasingly disrupted.

Severe impacts on air traffic have begun to mount in recent days, with more than 1,000 flights cancelled daily, raising the political pressure to end the stalemate.

“We’ll be opening up our country very quickly,” US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office earlier, adding: “the deal is very good”.

The spending plan will move to the House of Representatives, which like the Senate is controlled by Republicans. The chamber could vote on the bill as early as Wednesday to send it to Trump’s desk.