The U.S. Senate on Monday approved a deal to end the longest government shutdown, resolving a weeks-long impasse that disrupted food aid, halted pay for federal workers, and affected air travel.
The 60–40 vote passed with backing from nearly all Republicans and eight Democrats, who failed in their effort to link government funding to soon-expiring health subsidies.
While the agreement sets up a December vote on those subsidies, which benefit 24 million Americans, it does not guarantee they will continue.
The deal would restore funding for federal agencies that lawmakers allowed to expire on 1 October and would stall President Donald Trump's campaign to downsize the federal workforce, preventing any layoffs until 30 January.
It next heads to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson has said he would like to pass it as soon as Wednesday and send it on to Trump to sign into law.
Trump has called the deal to reopen the government "very good."
The deal would extend funding through 30 January, leaving the federal government for now on a path to keep adding about $1.8 trillion a year to its $38 trillion in debt.
"We wish we could do more," said Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chamber's No. 2 Democrat.
"The government shutting down seemed to be an opportunity to lead us to better policy. It didn't work."
The deal does not appear to include any specific guardrails to prevent Trump from enacting further spending cuts.
However, the deal would fund the SNAP food-subsidy program through to 30 September next year, heading off any possible disruptions if Congress were to shut down the government again during that time.
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President Donald Trump said on Saturday (21 February) that he will raise temporary tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under the law, after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
President Javier Milei has introduced a new labour reform proposal to Argentina’s Congress, aiming to address what his administration describes as a "rigid structure" that has hindered job creation in the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed the bill to release the files from the Justice Department investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Wednesday.
Peru's Congress voted unanimously on Friday to remove President Dina Boluarte from office in a late-night session held hours after political blocs from across the spectrum called for her ouster.
The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday, exclusively to Reuters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted three vessels, seizing two of them for alleged maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is extending its ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal.
Two local trains collided head-on north of Copenhagen on Thursday (23 April), injuring 17 people, five of them critically, according to emergency services.
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian waters near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tehran said U.S. breaches, blockades and threats are undermining “genuine negotiations.”
The European Union is preparing its 20th round of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. The measures are close to being approved, after earlier delays linked to energy concerns in Slovakia and Hungary eased following repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
China has urged the European Union to take its concerns seriously over new cybersecurity and digital regulations, warning they could create difficulties for Chinese companies operating in Europe.
Russia and Ukraine have swapped prisoners of war, according to officials on both sides. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 193 prisoners, including soldiers and border guards, had been returned from Russia, some injured and facing criminal charges.
Türkiye and the United Kingdom on Thursday signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership agreement to boost bilateral cooperation, especially in defence. The deal, signed in London, signals a “new era” in relations between the two NATO allies.
The U.S. and the European Union are set to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday to establish a partnership on the procurement and production of critical minerals, the U.S. State Department confirmed late on Thursday.
Russian emergency services have contained a major fire at the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea coast, local officials said on Thursday, ending a four-day effort after a Ukrainian drone strike.
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