Congress Passes Key Bill to end Longest Government Shutdown in US History

A deal to end the longest government shutdown in US history cleared Congress on Wednesday, after the House of Representatives voted to restart disrupted food assistance, pay hundreds of thousands of federal workers and revive a hobbled air-traffic control system.

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The Republican-controlled chamber passed the package by a vote of 222-209, with President Donald Trump's support largely keeping his party together in the face of vehement opposition from House Democrats, who are angry that a long standoff launched by their Senate colleagues failed to secure a deal to extend federal health insurance subsidies. The bill has already passed the Senate and the White House said Trump will sign it into law later on Wednesday, ending the shutdown.

It would extend funding through January 30, leaving the federal government on a path to keep adding about $1.8 trillion a year to its $38 trillion in debt. "I feel like I just lived a Seinfeld episode. We just spent 40 days and I still don't know what the plotline was," said Republican

Representative David Schweikert of Arizona, likening Congress' handling of the shutdown to the misadventures in a popular 1990s US sitcom. "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." He