US government shutdown to end
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The news: A record 43-day shutdown of the US government is set to end within hours after the US House of Representatives voted to pass a spending package that had received Senate approval on Monday.
The numbers: The House voted 222 in favour of the interim bill, with 209 voting against. Six Democrats voted in favour of the Republican-led bill.
The context: Most Democrats voted against the bill because it does not renew funding for health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act which are due to expire at the end of 2025. The House is expected to vote separately on this in the second week of December.
The bill reverses government employee layoffs made during the shutdown, guarantees backpay and extends stopgap funding until 30 January.
President Donald Trump will sign off on the spending package on Wednesday evening (Washington time) to end the shutdown, according to the White House.
After negotiations over the weekend, moderate Democratic Senators had agreed to withhold their demand for the health insurance subsidies in order to pass a bill that would restore funding to US government agencies.
