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After 43 days of institutional paralysis, the United States Congress could put an end to the longest government shutdown in its history with a key vote in the House of Representatives scheduled for this Wednesday.
The measure, already approved by the Senate, would extend federal government funding until January 30 and allow the reactivation of essential programs that have been stalled since mid-September.
Expectations are high in Washington.
Hundreds of thousands of public employees continue to go without their salaries, airports are reporting increasing delays, and millions of low-income families have seen their food assistance reduced.
Pressure on lawmakers has increased as the shutdown - now exceeding 40 days - begins to affect critical sectors of the economy.
A vote that could resolve the crisis
The bill that will be put to a vote includes three budget allocations that would fully fund several federal programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food to over 42 million people.
It also includes a clause to reverse the mass layoffs ordered during the shutdown by the Trump administration, a measure that affected thousands of federal employees.
The Senate passed the legislation on Monday night with a bipartisan vote of 60 to 40, adding the support of seven Democrats and one independent to the Republican majority.
However, this cooperation has not been without controversy: several members of the Democratic Party have harshly criticized the senators who supported the project, arguing that it concedes too much ground to Republican demands.
Nevertheless, the agreement offers a temporary solution to the political deadlock that keeps much of the country on edge.
If the House of Representatives supports the text, the federal government could reopen within days, as long as President Donald Trump signs the law.
Social programs and the debate over health insurance
One of the most sensitive points of the debate remains the future of subsidies for health insurance.
Republicans have shown willingness to maintain the pandemic-era tax credits, but they insist on imposing stricter limits on who can receive them.
Meanwhile, some Democrats fear that any restrictions could impact millions of families who might see their premiums double in the coming months.
The Senate rejected a proposal on Monday to extend health program subsidies for one year, with a vote of 47-53.
In exchange, the Republicans allowed the funding bill to move forward, with the commitment to revisit the subsidies in December.
Senator Susan Collins, chair of the Appropriations Committee, defended the need to "balance" assistance with income limits, while Senator Ruben Gallego warned that millions of Americans could be left unprotected if Congress does not act before the end of the year.
The cost of the longest shutdown in history
Since the shutdown began, more than 800,000 federal employees have worked without pay or have been sent home.
Essential services have been disrupted, including airport security checks, food inspections, and the processing of social benefits.
The SNAP Program, which provides food assistance to millions of families, has only been able to cover 65% of the scheduled payments for November, following the Supreme Court's decision to maintain the temporary suspension of full funding.
The court order, extended until November 13, has left millions in financial limbo.
Meanwhile, the economic effects of the closure are already reflected in administrative delays, declines in productivity, and estimated losses in the billions of dollars.
Economists warn that if Congress does not approve the funding in the coming days, uncertainty could hinder growth in the last quarter of the year.
A fragile but necessary agreement
The agreement being discussed in the Capitol is the result of weeks of negotiations between moderate senators from both parties.
Legislative sources indicate that the White House has given its preliminary approval to the agreement, suggesting that Trump's signature would not be a hindrance, although the president has reiterated his opposition to maintaining certain social programs without "structural adjustments."
Nevertheless, the road is not completely clear.
The Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson (Republican from Louisiana), has avoided publicly committing to the vote, reflecting the internal divisions within his party.
The end of a politically costly impasse
The government shutdown has tested not only the negotiation skills of Congress but also the patience of millions of citizens, who watch as services come to a halt while the parties become entangled in ideological disputes.
As the vote approaches, pressure is mounting on legislators to reach a consensus that would restore some sense of normalcy to the country.
But even if the law is passed this week, the relief will be temporary: the new funding will only last until January 30, which means another crisis could erupt in a matter of weeks if a lasting agreement is not reached.
For now, the vote in the House of Representatives represents the last opportunity to put an end to 43 days of political chaos, administrative paralysis, and social suffering, in what has already become one of the toughest tests for U.S. governance in the last decade.
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