After a long shutdown, the first signal towards the US Government reopening
The US government has had the longest shutdown in history, but in recent days there have been the first positive signs of a possible reopening.
The first signs of hope toward ending the near-record-long government shutdown have emerged in the United States, according to Reuters. On Capitol Hill on November 3, leading Senate Republicans and Democrats spoke of the "final stretch" of the disruption.
For 34 days, a standoff between Congress and President Donald Trump has shut down a range of federal programs including those that provide aid to low-income Americans, paychecks for U.S. soldiers and airport operations.
A new fiscal year began on October 1 without legislation to fund these operations. Thousands of federal employees are currently furloughed, and the fight has left about $1.7 trillion in funds hanging over the heads, about a third of total annual US spending.
"I'm optimistic," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, told reporters when asked about the prospects of ending the government shutdown that has left many federal employees working without pay.
Many low-income households are also seeing food stamp benefits cut or become only partially funded.
"Based on my sense and experience of how things usually work, I think we're getting closer to a way out of this impasse," said Republican Senator John Thune.
“I feel that way,” agreed Senator Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate. But he quickly added: “We’re still stuck on the bottom line — what do we do about health care costs?”
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) said progress had been made as Democrats proposed specific proposals to break the impasse, and staff from both parties worked through the weekend.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of moderate lawmakers in the House of Representatives has come up with a compromise plan.
According to Axios, four moderate lawmakers, including three Republicans and one Democrat, have proposed a two-year extension of the expanded tax credit in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but with a new limit on those with incomes near the maximum eligible for assistance.
Since October 1, groups of senators from both parties have held scattered closed-door meetings to try to break the deadlock that has engulfed Washington, but so far they have not reached a final agreement.
