a text aimed at ending budget paralysis was decided in the Senate, after a change of heart by a handful of Democrats

To overcome budget paralysis, eight Democratic Party senators broke with their party’s stance, allowing the passage of a bill that must now be approved by the House of Representatives.

After 41 days of blockage, progress begins to end the longest “shutdown” in history. The American Senate voted, on the night of Monday 10 November to Tuesday 11 November, on a bill aimed at ending the crippling budget shortfalls of the American federal state. Adopted with 60 votes in favor and 40 votes against, this bill was able to pass thanks to the support of a handful of Democratic Party senators.

The text, which plans to extend the current budget through the end of January, must now be approved by the House of Representatives, with a Republican majority, which will vote on Wednesday. This bill will then go to Donald Trump’s desk for enactment and will officially end the paralysis.

Due to current rules in the Senate, multiple Democratic votes are needed to approve the budget, even though Republicans have a majority. In total, eight Democrats ultimately voted for the new bill, breaking with their party’s position of demanding guaranteed funding for the health insurance program. “Weeks of negotiations with Republicans made it clear they would not address the health care issue”confirmed Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, one of the elected officials who voted on the budget text, in a press release.

“Waiting any longer will only prolong the suffering Americans are feeling due to the government shutdown.”

Jeanne Shaheen, Democratic senator

in a press release

Known as centrists, these eight elected Democrats obtained, as part of negotiations over the text chosen on Monday, the reversal of the Trump administration’s firing of thousands of federal civil servants since the start of the shutdown.

Before the vote, the American president was happy to have secured enough Democratic votes in the Senate to break the deadlock. “It’s a shame that the country is closed, but we will reopen our country soon,” Donald Trump said to the press at the White House. Republican House of Representatives leader Mike Johnson also expressed optimism Monday, believing the paralysis will end “this week”. “Our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end”he said during a press conference.

Since October 1 and the start of the blockade, hundreds of thousands of American civil servants have not been paid. Certain aid payments have been severely disrupted, as has air traffic, due to a lack of inspectors, and there are now hundreds of flight cancellations every day.

At the heart of the dispute between Republicans and Democrats: the question of health care costs. Donald Trump’s party, which has a majority in Congress, proposed a modest extension of the current budget, while the opposition demanded an extension of subsidies for the Obamacare health insurance program, aimed mainly at low-income households. These subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year, and health insurance costs are expected to more than double by 2026 for the 24 million Americans on Obamacare, according to KFF, a think tank specializing in health issues.

Democrats who agreed to vote on the budget bill on Monday did not get an extension of the subsidies, but only got a promise from Senate Republican leaders about a future vote on the issue. A promise denounced as empty by many elected Democrats, who are now criticizing their Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, for allegedly pushing behind the scenes to reach a deal with Republicans.