At least eight moderate Democratic senators have reached an agreement with Republican leaders in the Senate and the White House on a preliminary budget, report CNN and Politico. The agreement must put an end to the longest shutdown in American history, but this must also be approved by the House of Representatives.
The deal includes a temporary budget bill that will fund the federal government until January 30 and allow employees laid off during the shutdown to return to their jobs. In exchange for their support, the Democrats are promised a vote on improving and extending health care subsidies, but without guarantees that Republicans will actually agree to this.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia is happy with the deal and welcomes the Republican commitment to a future vote on financial compensation for health insurance premiums.
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“Representatives know that their voters expect them to vote in favor,” Kaine told CNN about Republican senators who would like to vote against extending the health insurance subsidy. “And if they don’t, they can easily be replaced by someone who does.”
Continued resistance among Democrats
Despite the fact that the support of at least eight moderate Democrats makes the necessary supermajority of 60 senators possible, resistance within the Democratic party remains strong. “For me, there is no deal without concerns,” Senator Richard Blumenthal told CNN, a view widely shared within the Senate faction. “As far as I can see, care is not included, so I am voting against.”
The leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, has also announced that he will oppose the deal if it comes to a vote in the House after final approval by the Senate.
Still, President Donald Trump is optimistic. “It looks like we are getting closer to the end of the shutdown,” he told reporters on Sunday evening local time.
The shutdown, which has now lasted forty days, has resulted in federal employees not receiving salaries and government services laying off staff. Food aid for 42 million Americans has also come under pressure and hundreds of flights have been canceled every day due to air traffic control problems.
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‘Deal in US Senate on provisional budget that should end shutdown’
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