WASHINGTON — Congress voted to end the government shutdown Monday after three days of tense negotiations resulted in a three-week spending bill that sets up another potential showdown next month.
President Donald Trump signed the measure Monday night, officially ending the standoff, for the time being.
Earlier in the day, Senate Democrats paved the way for the deal ahead of a noon vote on a key procedural measure that needed their support to end the funding impasse. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats would drop their objections to the bill in exchange for GOP assurances that Congress would take up a larger immigration bill in the coming weeks.
Once it cleared the Senate on Monday afternoon, the House quickly approved the stopgap measure by a 266-150 vote.
Senate passes measure to end government shutdown
Senate passes measure to end government shutdown 2:09
The decision by Democrats to end the shutdown has divided the party, with some members saying they received enough of a public assurance from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to hold him accountable and others saying that the party caved.
Schumer said he believes McConnell will hold a vote, with an open process, on DACA — the Obama-era program that allows people brought to the country illegally as children to stay.
“After several discussions, offers, counteroffers, the Republican leader and I have come to an arrangement," Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday. "We will vote today to reopen the government to continue negotiating a global agreement, with the commitment that, if an agreement isn’t reached by Feb. 8, the Senate will immediately proceed to consideration of legislation dealing with DACA.”