After three days, the US government shutdown ended with the Senate putting forth a temporary spending bill and reaching an agreement to put a politically contentious immigration proposal under consideration, something that seems inevitable to cause another partisan battle in the next couple of weeks.
Monday saw the deadlock between the nation’s two major political parties finally break, as the Democrats accepted the deal put forward by Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, to allow the government to be funded through to 8 February in return for McConnell agreeing to let the Senate consider the quick restoration of protections for the Dreamers, young undocumented immigrants brought to the US as minors.
In a statement, President Donald Trump said that he was glad the two parties had both ‘come to their senses’ but again reiterated that long-term deals would only be reached if it was good for the US. The agreement could see the government reopen on Tuesday, although final votes on the measure still need to be taken by the Senate, and then get through the House of Representatives and receive the President’s signature.
It also again sees the clock counting down to a showdown on the issue of immigration between the Democrats and the Republicans, which the deal has postponed rather than resolved, and which could result in another spending standoff. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democrat Leader, says the Republicans now have just 17 days to prevent the deportation of Dreamers.