The Senate today cleared a key procedural hurdle needed to end the government shutdown after several Democrats reached a funding deal with Republicans.
The Senate voted 60-40 to invoke cloture on a continuing appropriations bill, allowing for a vote on passage of the legislation at a later date. Sixty votes were needed to overcome a filibuster. The House would need to approve any deal passed by the Senate.
According to the Washington Post, the proposed deal would combine three full-year funding measures into one package with a stopgap funding bill that would reopen the government through Jan. 30. It would not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, as Democrats had demanded.
The current shutdown began on Oct. 1. That same month, the American Bankers Association joined 15 associations representing a wide range of industries in urging lawmakers to end the shutdown, noting that it is imposing “real, escalating costs” on the U.S. economy.
“We urge Congress to swiftly pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the federal government,” the groups said. “Immediately reopening the government would avert further economic disruption and give Congress and the administration time to negotiate a longer-term funding package and address other pressing issues.”
