US House to vote on deal to end longest government shutdown
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The House of Representatives is set to vote to reopen the federal government on Wednesday night in a bid to end the longest shutdown in US history.
The Republican-controlled House returned to session for the first time in nearly two months on Wednesday, two days after the US Senate passed a bill to end the shutdown. A vote is expected as early as 7.00pm local time.
The White House said President Donald Trump was prepared to sign the bill on Wednesday night, which would reopen the federal government and keep it funded until the end of January.
The bill faces a narrow path to passage, despite being endorsed by Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
Republicans control the House by a razor-thin margin, and it remained unclear how many in the president’s party would vote against the bill, or whether it would get any support from House Democrats.
Johnson expressed confidence on Wednesday afternoon, telling reporters: “We believe the long national nightmare will be over tonight.”
“We think this is going to happen, and we are sorry that it took this long,” he added.
The deal — struck over the weekend in closed-door negotiations between rank-and-file Democratic senators and their Republican counterparts — would reverse the lay-offs of federal employees initiated by the White House and guarantee that furloughed workers receive back pay.
The agreement has sharply divided Democratic lawmakers, many of whom accuse senators of surrendering to Trump and the Republicans.
For six weeks, Democrats had insisted that reopening the government was contingent on reversing planned cuts to healthcare tax credits that are due to expire at the end of the year.
The deal struck by senators does not guarantee the tax credits will be saved, but instead ensures a vote on the issue next month.
Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, has urged his colleagues to vote against the bill. Speaking on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday morning, Jeffries said the proposal “fails to address the Republican healthcare crisis and it fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits”.
Wednesday marked the 43rd day of the shutdown, which has led to the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, while those deemed “essential” have been expected to show up to work without pay.
It has led to reduced public services and imperilled benefits for low-income Americans, including the more than 40mn people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for food benefits.
The impasse on Capitol Hill has also wreaked havoc on the nation’s air travel, as air traffic controllers have called in sick to work. Last week the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates the country’s air travel, ordered airlines to begin reducing flights.
