Senate Democrats reach deal to avert partial government shutdown

Deal calls for splitting a funding bill for DHS from a package of other funding bills

Senators have reached a deal to advance a major package of spending bills to avert a partial government shutdown that was set to begin on Saturday.

The office of Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, confirmed the deal calls for splitting a funding bill for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from a package of other funding bills, and that the deal would fund DHS for two weeks at its current levels.

The deal would avert a partial shutdown that would have affected many of the government’s functions. The House, which is out of session, would have to approve the revised package. The government’s current spending authorizations expire after Friday, while the House in not back until Monday.

The Senate could vote on the deal as soon as Thursday evening. In the House, speaker Mike Johnson, told the Associated Press that he had been “vehemently opposed” to breaking up the funding package, but “if it is broken up, we will have to move it as quickly as possible. We can’t have the government shut down.”