More than a month after it started shutdown on USAnegotiations to reopen the federal government appear to have finally broken down in the Senate.
According to converging information cited by the Axiosapprox ten Democratic senators are willing to vote in favor of a procedural proposalwhich will allow it to proceed a package of bills for public spending, along with a temporary funding until the end of January – which could signal the end of the US shutdown.
That package includes, according to the same sources, a commitment to hold a vote in December on extending tax credits tied to Obamacare. At the same time, the discussions are considering the addition of arrangements to support federal employees who have been placed on mandatory unpaid leave due to the shutdown.
Nothing is taken for granted: negotiations are described as “fluid” and no deal will be final before lawmakers vote. But for the first time in weeks, the two camps appear to be nearing a compromise that could break the Senate deadlock.
Senators were called back to Washington for a rare session Sunday, centered on a crucial procedural vote on the funding package. The text of the appropriations bills that will form the basis of the deal began to be released on Sunday afternoon, raising hopes that the months-long fiscal thriller is nearing its end.