US senators have voted in favor of a federal budget bill that would end the longest government shutdown in US history.
According to the results, 60 votes were recorded in favor of the initiative, while 40 voted against. This decision allows debate on the budget bill to begin.
It now needs to be passed by the House of Representatives and then sent to President Donald Trump for signature.
The new US fiscal year began on October 1 without a government budget approved by Congress. This forced the federal government to shut down, affecting up to 40% of the workforce - more than 800,000 people.
Trump blamed Democrats for the government shutdown. He threatened to use the shutdown to implement massive staff and payroll cuts, as well as eliminate programs that the ruling party does not like.
The bill required 60 votes to pass. Although Republicans control both houses of Congress, they hold only 53 seats in the Senate.
According to Kevin Hassett, head of the White House National Economic Council, a prolonged government shutdown could result in layoffs and a loss of GDP of $15 billion per week.