US senators reached an agreement on Sunday (9th) to end the budget strike that has disrupted some public services for 40 days. Under a tentative agreement between Republicans and Democrats, government funding is guaranteed through January.
US senators reached an agreement on Sunday (9th) to end the budget strike that has disrupted some public services for 40 days. Under a tentative agreement between Republicans and Democrats, government funding is guaranteed through January.
The Senate approved the document on a 60-40 vote, with support from seven Democratic senators and one independent. This is the first step before the final vote and 50 votes must be verified.
The bill must be approved by the Republican-controlled House. The document could then be promulgated by President Donald Trump, a process that could take several days.
But the pledge has divided the Democratic field. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries voiced opposition to the deal.
Lawmakers said the document would restore funding to the suspended federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps more than 42 million low-income Americans.
As negotiations progress, it is hoped that air traffic will normalize and social security payments, which have been blocked in the country, will be paid. Hundreds of thousands of civil servants have been on unpaid leave or working without pay since October 1.
“It looks like we’re nearing the end of the ‘shutdown,'” President Donald Trump told reporters upon returning to the White House after spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida.
The measure also includes a halt to thousands of federal layoffs announced by President Donald Trump last month and a vote on extending health care benefits that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said in a statement that the proposal would “protect federal workers from wrongful termination, reinstate those who were wrongfully fired during the government shutdown, and ensure that federal workers receive retroactive paychecks.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who voted against the compromise, lamented that extending medical aid would not be directly adopted. “This fight will continue and must continue,” he declared. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said this was a “terrible mistake.”
air traffic
The closure caused more than 2,700 flights in the United States to be canceled and 10,000 delayed on Sunday, according to the website FlightAware. The most affected airports were Newark and LaGuardia in New York, O’Hare in Chicago, and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Sunday that the situation would worsen if the budget blockade was extended as the end of the month, Thanksgiving, approaches.
“Air traffic will be significantly reduced at a time when everyone wants to travel to see family,” he said on Fox News. “There are fewer air traffic controllers, so only a few flights are taking off and landing,” he added.
It could take several days for air traffic to return to normal after the strike ends. According to President Trump, the budget shutdown was one of the reasons for the series of election losses his party suffered on November 4th.
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