House returns for vote to end the government shutdown after nearly 2 months away

WASHINGTON (AP) — House lawmakers will make a long-awaited return to the nation’s capital on Wednesday after a nearly eight-week absence to potentially put an end to the longest-running pandemic. federal government shutdown in US history.

The House is scheduled to consider a bill to reopen the government that the Senate passed Monday night. President Donald Trump called the measure a “huge victory” and it is expected to pass the Republican-led House. But the possibility travel delays Voting may be complicated by the shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson may need near-perfect turnout from his fellow Republicans to get across the finish line.

The Parliament has not been in legislative session since September 19. passed the short-term funding patch Keeping the government open when the new budget year begins in October. Johnson sent lawmakers home after the vote and put the onus on the Senate to take action, saying House Republicans were doing their job.

Democrats seized the opportunity to portray Republicans as going on vacation federal workforce gone without a paychecktravelers experienced airport delays and food aid grants expired. Johnson, R-La., said his members are doing important work in their districts.

The majority of Democratic lawmakers are expected to vote against the measure because it does not include an extension. Affordable Care Act tax credits It will expire at the end of this year, making cover more affordable.

“Our strong expectation is that Democrats will oppose it strongly,” Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Tuesday night as he previewed the vote.

But Johnson said of the pending legislation that “our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end, and for that we are grateful.”

“After 40 days of wandering in the wilderness and inflicting needless suffering on the American people, some Senate Democrats have finally stepped forward to end the suffering,” Johnson said.

Settlement to end closure

The measure passed by the Senate, eight senators crossing the ranks It met with Democrats after concluding that Republicans would not be willing to use the measure to maintain expiring health care tax credits. Meanwhile, the cost of the closure was increasing day by day. wednesday signs 43rd day of closure.

The compromise measure funds the bipartisan three-year spending bill and extends the remainder of government funding through Jan. 30. Republicans have also vowed to vote to extend health care subsidies through mid-December, but there’s no guarantee of success.

“We’ve reached the point where many of us believe the shutdown has been very effective in increasing concerns about health care,” said Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. He said the promise of a future vote “gives us the opportunity to continue to address this issue going forward.”

The legislation includes a reversal of this situation. firing of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began. It also protects federal employees from new layoffs through January and guarantees that they will be paid when the shutdown ends. The full-year funding in the bill for the Department of Agriculture means people who rely on essential food assistance programs will see those benefits uninterruptedly funded for the remainder of the budget year.

The package includes $203.5 million to improve the security of lawmakers and an additional $28 million for the security of Supreme Court justices.

Democrats are also trying to use language that would give senators the opportunity to sue when a federal agency or employee searches for their electronic records without notifying them. This language appears intended to help Republican lawmakers sue for damages if phone records are stolen analyzed by FBI Within the scope of the investigation into Trump’s overthrow efforts 2020 election loss To Democrat Joe Biden.

“We will tattoo this provision on the forehead of every House Republican who dares to vote for this bill, just as we did the Republican healthcare crisis,” Jeffries said.

Many Democrats call the bill’s passage a mistake. New York Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who received backlash from his party when he voted to keep the government open in March, said Sunday that he could not support the government “in good faith” after meeting with the caucus for more than two hours.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont, who is meeting with Democrats, said giving up the fight was a “terrible mistake.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., voters They overwhelmingly supported Democrats in last week’s elections He was calling them to “stand firm”.

Health debate continues

It’s unclear whether the two parties can find common ground on health care subsidies before a Senate vote in December. Johnson said he would not commit to raising the issue in his chambers.

Some Republicans say they’re open to expansion Tax credits during the COVID-19 pandemic They also want new limits on who can receive subsidies, as premiums could skyrocket for millions of people. Some argue that tax revenues for the plans should be routed through individuals.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Monday she supports expanding tax credits with changes such as new income caps. Some Democrats have signaled they might be open to the idea.

“We need to act by the end of the year, and that’s exactly what the majority leader promised,” Collins said. he said.

Other Republicans, including Trump, used the debate to renew years-long criticism of the law and called for it to be scrapped or overhauled.

In a possible preview, the Senate voted 47-53 along party lines on Monday not to extend the subsidies for another year. Republicans allowed the vote as part of a separate deal with Democrats to speed up the final vote.

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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the federal government shutdown at: https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown.