US senators agree to end longest shutdown in history

U.S. senators have reached a bipartisan agreement to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which lasted 40 days, the BBC reports.

The government shutdown lasted for more than a month due to Congress failing to reach an agreement on funding federal services.

The previous record, 35 days, occurred during the first term of President Donald Trump and ended in January 2019.

“It looks like we are approaching the end of the shutdown. You will know very soon,” Trump said.

After being passed by the Senate, the bill must be approved by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and then signed by Trump — a process that could take several days.