The US federal government’s longest-ever shutdown is to come to an end after Congress finally voted through a funding deal.
The shutdown, which started on 1 October, has disrupted the lives of millions of Americans as all non-essential parts of government have been frozen.
It came after Democrats and Republicans refused to budge in their stand-off over healthcare spending, causing the first shutdown in almost seven years as the parties failed to agree on a government funding bill.
But on Wednesday night in Washington DC, the House of Representatives voted through a deal to reopen the government after the Senate – the upper chamber of Congress – reached a deal on Monday.
It will now go to the desk of President Donald Trump, who the White House has said will sign it tonight. It will fund the government through to 30 January.
How shutdown reached its end
The breakthrough came over the weekend, when a handful of Democrats in the Senate rebuffed their party’s leadership and teamed up with Republicans to strike a deal.
The Democrats had refused to support a Republican budget plan unless tax credits that made medical insurance cheaper for millions of people were renewed.
The willingness of eight moderate Democrats to break the Senate deadlock without that guarantee has provoked fury among many in the party.
While it will restore funding to federal agencies that have gone without since 1 October, and also prevent any further layoffs until 30 January, many voters will be left to count the cost of higher costs for their healthcare.
What’s a federal government shutdown?
A shutdown of the federal government means that all non-essential functions of government are frozen, affecting everything from social security to air travel to national park access.
Federal agencies are dependent on funding being approved by Congress to allow the president to sign budget legislation for the fiscal year ahead.
If they cannot approve funding (because of political differences – and America is bitterly divided) then those agencies are forced to shut down.
This means that workers cannot do their jobs and are not paid.
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