Will US flights resume and layoffs be reversed? Relief in sight as government shutdown nears end

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, which has stretched to 43 days. The shutdown left federal employees without paychecks, stranded travellers at airports and families waiting in line at food banks for meals. US President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law later this evening.

The bill passed by a vote of 222 to 209, with six Democrats breaking ranks to join Republicans in support. On Monday, eight Senate Democrats joined Republicans to pass a funding bill that keeps the government running until 30 January, adding roughly $1.8 trillion a year to the nation’s $38 trillion debt.

How many votes were needed as US government shutdown nears end?

The magic number was 217 to approve the bill as the US government shutdown nears its end.

About the deal

The agreement restores all government jobs lost during the shutdown, ensures federal employees receive back pay and extends temporary government funding through January, according to BBC. What doesn’t it cover? The deal stops short of meeting a key Democratic demand, securing an automatic extension of health insurance subsidies. Rather than including the subsidy extension in the continuing resolution, it schedules a separate vote on the tax credits for the end of the second week in December.

As the prolonged US government shutdown draws to a close, the Transportation Department and Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that flight reductions at 40 major US airports will be capped at 6%, instead of increasing to 10% by Friday, according to Bloomberg. Last week, the government issued an emergency order requiring airlines to cut flights at 40 of the busiest airports due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. The reductions began at 4% and were scheduled to rise to 8% on Thursday and 10% on Friday.

Meanwhile, as per Reuters, Republican Representative David Schweikert of Arizona, comparing Congress’s handling of the shutdown to the chaotic misadventures of the popular 1990s sitcom, stated, “I feel like I just lived a Seinfeld episode. We just spent 40 days, and I still don't know what the plotline was. I really thought this would be like 48 hours: people will have their piece, they'll get a moment to have a temper tantrum, and we'll get back to work. What's happened now when rage is policy?"

(With inputs from agencies)