Washington DC [US]: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (local time) that the ongoing government shutdown is nearing its end. His statement came amid reports from CNN that a group of at least eight centrist Senate Democrats have reached a deal with Senate Republican leaders and the White House to reopen the government in exchange for a future vote on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown. We never agreed to give any substantial money, or any money, to prisoners or illegals that come into our country, and I think the Democrats understand that. It looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending. You’ll know it very soon.”
According to CNN, the tentative deal would end the longest government shutdown in US history and introduce a stopgap measure to extend funding until January. It would also be linked to a broader spending package to fully fund several key agencies.
A GOP aide told CNN that the Senate is expected to vote on the proposal between 8:30 and 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday. At least eight Senate Democrats have agreed to support the deal, which was brokered by three former governors — Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Angus King of Maine, and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire — along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the White House.
The report noted that the agreement does not include any Republican guarantee to extend health care subsidies, though Democrats involved in the negotiations expect further talks between House and Senate GOP leaders to find a compromise in the coming weeks.
Senate Democratic leaders have not yet announced their official stance on the deal, as the caucus held a closed-door meeting for several hours on Sunday night. Meanwhile, House Democratic leaders have publicly criticized the agreement.
CNN added that House Democrats are scheduled to hold their own internal meeting on Monday to discuss the proposal.
The Senate is first expected to vote on the House-passed stopgap bill, which will need support from at least eight Democrats to proceed. After that, the Senate would amend the measure with the larger bipartisan funding package.
If approved, the bill would return to the House for final passage before heading to President Trump’s desk to officially reopen the government — a process that could still take several more days.
