WASHINGTON—The Senate Monday night approved a government funding measure that moves the nation closer to ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
The 60-40 vote came just a day after a bipartisan group of rank-and-file senators, working with Majority Leader John Thune, reached a breakthrough agreement to end weeks of gridlock, POLITICO reported.
The legislation now heads to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson has told members a vote could occur as early as Wednesday. President Donald Trump must still sign the measure before federal operations can resume, POLITICO noted.
With Senate passage, the shutdown could be over by week’s end, Washington insiders state.
Trump is expected to press any remaining GOP skeptics in the House to back the deal, while a group of moderate Democrats may also support the package—despite frustration among party leaders over the lack of an extension for expiring Obamacare tax credits, POLITICO said.
The Defense Credit Union Council welcomed the Senate’s bipartisan action to end the shutdown.
“This prolonged impasse has hurt our service members, civilian defense employees, and their families—those who deserve stability, not uncertainty,” stated Jason Stverak, DCUC chief advocacy officer.
Stverak noted that throughout this difficult period, credit unions once again stepped up where others stood down—offering emergency assistance, advancing pay, and providing financial relief to those most affected.
“Their commitment to ‘People Helping People’ is the best reflection of the credit union difference and the defense community’s resilience,” he said. “We urge the House to swiftly reopen the government, and ensure our nation’s military and their families are never again used as bargaining chips in political stalemates.”
America's Credit Unions reacted to the news.
'We urge Congress to swiftly pass the funding bill to restore stability across our country," said Scott Simpson, America’s Credit Unions president/CEO. "In what is now the longest shutdown in history, spanning seven weeks, millions of households have had to worry about how they will make ends meet. Throughout this shutdown, credit unions embodied their ‘people helping people’ mission to ensure those facing financial hardships had a trusted partner by their side, throwing out every lifeline available. It’s time to end the shutdown and put people first—the same way that credit unions do every day.”