An agreement has been reached to advance a deal aimed at ending the longest US government shutdown ever recorded.
A procedural vote held on Sunday night saw senators advance a House-approved bill, which will be amended to fund the government until 30 January.
Millions of American lives have been disrupted since the shutdown took effect on 1 October, when all non-essential parts of government were frozen as it ran out of money.
The shutdown, which was the first in almost seven years, was triggered by politicians failing to pass new funding bills amid a stand-off between the Democrats and Republicans over healthcare spending.
If the Senate passes the amended measure, it still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives and sent to US President Donald Trump for sign off.
The vote to advance the bill passed by a 60-40 margin, the minimum needed to overcome a Senate filibuster – a procedural tool that empowers the minority party to delay or block a piece of legislation they oppose.
“It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House prior to the vote.
A handful of Democrats who rebuffed their party’s leadership teamed up with Republicans to strike the agreement, which included plans for a vote in December on extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
The bill would prohibit federal agencies from firing employees until 30 January, a win for federal worker unions and their allies.
It comes as at least 300,000 employees are expected to leave the government by the end of this year due to Mr Trump’s downsizing effort.
What is a government shutdown?
A shutdown of the federal government means that all non-essential functions of government are frozen.
This will affect everything from social security to air travel to national park access.
Federal agencies are dependent on funding being approved by Congress to allow the president to sign budget legislation for the fiscal year ahead.
If they can’t approve funding (because of political differences – and America is of course bitterly divided) then those agencies are forced to shut down.
This means that workers cannot go to work and are not paid.
