Deal reached in Senate on funding US Government until January, end of shutdown

(Patria) - US senators have reached a temporary agreement that will end the budget shutdown that has blocked parts of public services for a record 40 days, US media reported.

Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have agreed on funding the government until January, CNN and Fox News reported.

The measure was immediately put to a vote, apparently with the support of a sufficient number of Democrats, and the text will then be sent to the House of Representatives. If the House of Representatives also adopts it, the proposal will be sent to Donald Trump for signature.

This step forward leads to the normalization of the situation, given that air traffic and social welfare payments are currently disrupted, while hundreds of thousands of employees are on technical strike or working without pay since October 1.

"We could say that we are approaching the end of the government shutdown," US President Donald Trump told reporters, returning to the White House after a weekend spent at his Florida residence.

According to statements by members of Congress, the agreement should allow for the resumption of social welfare payments for 42 million Americans that were suspended due to the budget shutdown, the return to work of thousands of civil servants and the payment of salaries, as well as a vote on the extension of the health insurance program which expires at the end of this year.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he regretted that healthcare was a topic of voting rather than direct acceptance.

"That fight will have to continue," he said in the Senate.

Due to the budget shutdown that affected air traffic control, more than 2,700 flights were canceled and 10,000 were delayed in the US on Sunday, FlightAware reported. Newark and LaGuardia airports in New York, O'Hare in Chicago, and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta were particularly affected.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Sunday that the continuation of the budget shutdown could further worsen the situation, given that Thanksgiving is approaching.

"Air traffic will be reduced to a minimum while everyone wants to travel to visit family," he warned.

The return of air traffic to normal could take several more days after the shutdown, until regular federal funding, which includes salary payments, is re-established.