US senators reach deal that could end record shutdown

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WASHINGTON: US senators reached a bipartisan deal on Sunday that would resume federal funding and end a shutdown that has run into a record 40 days and forced many government operations to halt.

The agreement between Democratic and Republican senators — just the first step toward averting a shutdown — came as officials warned that U.S. air travel could soon be “slowed down” by “a trickle” as thousands more flights were canceled or delayed over the weekend.

In January, lawmakers announced plans to fund the government in the wake of cuts to health care subsidies, food benefits and President Donald Trump’s firing of federal employees, outlets including CNN and Fox News reported.

As news of the development emerged, Trump told reporters at the White House over the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida: “It looks like we’re getting very close to the end of the shutdown.”

The Republican-led Senate held a procedural vote on Sunday aimed at advancing the legislative measure, and it appeared that enough Democrats had the support to move the vote forward.

Once it clears the Senate, it will need to pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, and then head to Trump’s desk for his signature — a process that could take days.

Earlier on Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that if the shutdown continues, the number of flights could be scrapped or cut as Americans prepare to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday later this month.

As of Sunday evening, the number of flight cancellations in and to and from the United States exceeded 2,700, with nearly 10,000 delays, according to data from the platform FlightWear.

Airports that were hit particularly hard included three airports in the New York City area, O’Hare in Chicago, and Hartfield-Jackson in Atlanta.

Newark’s Liberty International Airport—a major Northeastern U.S. hub—was the worst affected. At New York’s LaGuardia Airport, more than half of outbound flights were delayed.

Divided over health care

Without a deal, Duffy warned that many Americans planning to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 27 “won’t be able to get on the plane, because there won’t be as many flights that fly if this thing doesn’t open back up.”

It could take days for flight schedules to resume after the shutdown finally ends, and federal funding — including for salaries — begins to flow again.

The Trump administration marked a third day of flight reductions at airports across the country to ease the strain on unpaid air traffic controllers.

According to lawmakers, the bill would restore funding for the SNAP food stamp program, which helps more than 42 million low-income Americans pay for groceries.

It would also reverse Trump’s firing of thousands of federal workers last month, and ensure a vote on extending health care subsidies that are set to expire later this year.

“The deal guarantees a vote to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax credit, which Republicans have been unwilling to do,” Senate Democrat Tim Kaine said in a statement.

He added that the bill—a so-called continuing resolution (CR) to provide funding at pre-government levels—”will protect federal workers from unjustified firings, reinstate those wrongfully terminated during the shutdown, and ensure that federal workers receive back pay, as required by law.”

But many Senate Democrats are opposed to the deal, including the chamber’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, who expressed anger that it offers a vote to extend health care subsidies instead of outright expansion.

“I cannot support a CR that fails to address the health care crisis,” Schumer told the chamber.