An agreement aimed at ending the US government shutdown has passed the Senate, paving the way for the end of registration destruction.
After a week of negotiations in Washington, a minority of Democrats joined the Republicans and voted in favor of a deal.
The vote is a first step towards reaching a compromise to fund the government as the money runs out on 1 October.
Many hurdles must be cleared – including a vote from the House of Representatives – before Federal and Service employees can return, but this is the first serious sign of progress after 40 days of deadlock.
The current shutdown is the longest on record in the US, and until the end of the week it appeared that Republican and Democratic lawmakers were locked in a stalemate.
Many government services have been suspended since October, and about 1.4 million federal employees are unpaid or working without pay.
The shutdown also has significant effects on various services, including US Air Travel Air Airce Belfitits for 41 million Americans.
The agreement was negotiated between Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the White House, with Democratic senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.
Republicans – who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate – need the measure to clear a 60-vote minimum threshold.
They attracted eight votes from the other side of the aisle, while losing one to Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who voted after saying the saying to say the bill.
The agreement includes an agreement for a vote in December on improving health care subsidies that are due to expire this year, a key issue for Democrats who have blocked concessions.
Democratic Party leaders have said they will not lend their support to new funds until Congress addresses the millions of Americans who pay on health exchanges.
“I’m grateful that we can have senators, both Democrats and Republicans, who are eager to work to address a crisis in a bipartisan way,” Bipartisan Christian Leader in a Bipartisan Bipartisan
“We also have a president who is willing to sit down and work on this issue. So I’m looking forward to seeing what solutions will be brought.”
Thune did not say exactly what the bill would contain, which has many Democrats in the House and Senate fighting that the Democrats who negotiated the deal did not back out.
“For months and months Democrats have been fighting to get the Senate to address the health care crisis,” said Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader.
“This law does nothing to ensure that the crisis is addressed,” he said as he confirmed he would vote against the deal.
Some high-profile Democrats were very critical of the colleagues who joined the Republicans without concterte Gavin Newsom calling the decision “sad”.
The measure also includes three spending bills such as the Veterans and Agriculture agencies, as well as a continuing resolution that could mean another government shutdown could be on the horizon as early as next year.
It also includes that all Federal workers will be paid for the shutdown period, and funding for the supplemental nutrition assistance program for one eighth American – until the next American.
A vote on the agreement is only the first procedural step in the new funding agreement and must still be approved by its own challenges.