US Senate votes to end government shutdown

The US Senate has overwhelmingly voted to reopen the government, ending a days-long standoff that forced hundreds of thousands of federal government workers to stay at home without pay.  

The Senate voted 81-18 on Monday on a stopgap spending measure to fund the government through February 8.

Senate Democrats agreed with Republicans to end the government shutdown, after they received a promise from after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to move on immigration bills including support for undocumented immigrants brought to America as children.

"After several discussions, offers and counteroffers, the Republican leader and I have come to an arrangement. We will vote today to reopen the government to continue negotiating a global agreement," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, said ahead of the vote.

The short-term funding bill still needs to pass on a final up-or-down vote, but that is a formality now. The House of Representatives is expected to approve the resolution soon.

The government shutdown, first in five years, went into effect shortly after Friday midnight, when Senate Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on the stopgap funding measure to continue government services.

The shutdown followed Congress’ failure to reach a deal on the status of “Dreamers.”

Dreamers are hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants brought into America as children who were protected from deportation until September 2017, when the Trump administration ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which was created by former US President Barack Obama.

President Donald Trump said last year that he was ending the DACA program, and gave Congress until March to deliver a legislative fix.

Faced with criticism over the decision, Trump made it clear that he would only accept a DACA deal if Democrats agreed to include funding for his controversial wall on the border with Mexico in the 2018 budget.

PressTV-GOP softens tone as US govt. shutdown continues

Senate Republicans are offering a new immigration deal to Democrats in order to end the government shutdown.

Trump had accused opposition Democrats of taking Americans hostage by their demands, which, according to him, triggered the government shutdown.

He accused them of placing immigrants ahead of American citizens and shutting down the government in the service of their base.

“Democrats have shut down our government in the interests of their far left base. They don’t want to do it but are powerless!” he tweeted on Monday, referring to the Democratic leadership in Congress.

The deal reached between Republicans and Democrats on Monday falls short of the initial Democratic demand that Trump agree to a deal to replace the DACA program and protect Dreamers facing deportation.

Trump and Republican leaders refused to negotiate on Dreamers while the government remained closed.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk