In the United States, the longest shutdown in recent history is coming to an end on the 40th day. Senators from both parties have agreed on a compromise that will secure funding for government work until the end of January and finance parts of the government for a full year. The compromise also stipulates that state employees on leave will be paid and that terminations made during the shutdown will be reversed. There are no plans to extend state subsidies for health insurance contributions; However, the Republican leadership guarantees that it will be put to a vote.
A breakthrough appeared to come from Republicans’ proposal to give part of health care spending directly to households instead of using it to finance a one-year extension of Obamacare subsidies. Under the previous model, the subsidies would have flowed to health insurance companies, which would use the money to lower premiums so that consumers pay lower monthly premiums.
At least 10 Democratic senators are poised to support a procedural motion that would advance a package of spending bills and short-term funding by the end of January, multiple media outlets are consistently reporting.
However, some obstacles still need to be overcome. The agreement would still have to be approved by the House of Representatives, which has not been in session since September 19th. House Speaker Mike Johnson has warned members in advance that he would give them 48 hours to return to Washington if a spending bill passes the Senate. This means that the shutdown cannot end until Tuesday at the earliest.
Until then, every single senator can delay the vote. According to their statements on social media, many politicians on the left are dissatisfied with the compromise. At the same time, the pressure is growing: air traffic is threatened with restrictions a few weeks before the most important travel time around Thanksgiving because air traffic controllers and security forces are reporting sick more often. Many cannot afford to work long hours without pay and have therefore taken on part-time jobs.
