Donald Trump’s administration announced on Monday that it supports an agreement reached yesterday by a group of Republicans and centrist Democrats to end the “shutdown,” the paralysis of U.S. federal government operations.
White House officials said Trump wants the strike, now in its 41st day, to end and is positive about a deal with some Democrats to restore government funding.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune spoke with President Trump last night about the negotiations and said he expected the president to sanction the deal once it was voted on in Congress.
Speaking to journalists on the topic last night, President Trump expressed optimism about the end of the “shutdown.” Today, the president took to social media to threaten air traffic controllers who chose not to work without pay during the strike, which caused major disruption to air travel across the United States.
Eight Democrats joined Republicans yesterday in approving the start of debate on the deal in a regular vote, breaking an impasse that had been negotiated behind closed doors and had prevented the temporary government loan project from being processed in the Senate.
The Senate must now consider the agreement. Negotiations are expected to resume today, but a date for the final vote has not yet been set. Mr. Thune optimistically said he expected the deal to be approved “within hours, not days.”
The project still goes to the House of Representatives, where it must also be voted on. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, gave lawmakers 36 hours to return to Washington for a vote once the deal is approved by the Senate. The chamber has been in recess since September 19th.
Passage through the House of Commons is not guaranteed, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson signaled today that he expects there will be enough votes. Democratic leaders criticized senators for their negotiations with Republicans and expressed opposition to any deal that did not include an extension of Obamacare subsidies.
Under the agreement reached in the Senate, Republicans only committed to a vote on the subsidy expansion in December. The document includes retroactive paychecks for federal employees who were furloughed during the “shutdown,” transfer of federal funds to state and local governments, and reinstatement of employees laid off by the Trump administration during the same period.
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