US government shutdown nears end as House approves funding deal

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The longest federal government shutdown in US history was on track to end after the House of Representatives passed a new funding package.

The Republican-controlled House voted 222-209 in favor of a bill to reopen the federal government and keep it funded through the end of January after the legislation passed the Senate on Monday.

The White House said President Donald Trump will sign the bill on Wednesday evening.

The expected end to the shutdown comes after a 43-day standoff that saw thousands of federal employees furloughed, social welfare programs disrupted and causing chaos at airports.

Government services are expected to reopen in the coming days, while restrictions on air travel in the United States are gradually reduced.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed the bill through the House despite his narrow majority in the House. All but two Republicans voted in favor of the bill. They were joined by six Democrats, all representing districts that Trump won in last year’s presidential election.

After the vote, Johnson sought to shift the blame for the “useless and foolish” lockdown onto Democrats, whom he accused of a “selfish political ploy.”

“Now that Republicans have successfully ended the Democratic shutdown, we look forward to continuing our important legislative work to deliver results for the American people,” Johnson and other top Republican lawmakers said in a joint statement.

The agreement approved by lawmakers was reached over the weekend in closed negotiations between Democratic senators and their Republican counterparts. It would reverse federal layoffs initiated by the White House and ensure furloughed workers receive back pay.

The agreement sparked a sharp division among Democratic lawmakers, many of whom accused senators of capitulating to Trump and Republicans.

For six weeks, Democrats have insisted that the government’s reopening be conditional on reversing planned cuts to health care tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year.

The agreement reached by senators does not guarantee the preservation of tax breaks, but instead guarantees a vote on the issue next month.

Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, had urged his colleagues to vote against the bill. Speaking on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday morning, Jeffries said the proposal “fails to address Republicans’ health care crisis and fails to extend the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits.”

The shutdown lasted far longer than the previous record of 35 days during Trump’s first term, and furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers, while those deemed “essential” were expected to come to work without pay.

This has reduced public services and jeopardized benefits for low-income Americans, including more than 40 million people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for food benefits.

The impasse on Capitol Hill also created chaos for the country’s air travel, with air traffic controllers calling in sick to work. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates air travel in the country, ordered airlines to begin reducing flights.