Shutdown Almost Over as Senate Passes Bill

It's almost over: The Senate passed a short-term spending bill Monday afternoon that will end the government shutdown as soon as the House follows suit. The House is expected to do so in a matter of hours, reports the Washington Post. The development toward ending the three-day shutdown came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell floated a compromise to Democrats: Pass the bill to reopen the government through Feb. 8, and he would promise to take up legislation to address immigration and other hot-button issues. (Moderate senators had come up with the plan over the weekend.)

"So long as the government remains open—it would be my intention to take up legislation here in the Senate that would address DACA, border security and related issues as well as disaster relief, defense funding, health care and other important matters," McConnell said before the vote from the Senate floor, per USA Today. Democrats were holding out for an ironclad assurance of a vote on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, though it was unclear how ironclad of an assurance they had received.