The United States Senate appeared close to advancing a measure on Sunday designed to reopen the federal government, as a 40-day shutdown continued to sideline workers, disrupt food aid, and strain the nation’s air travel system.

Senators were expected to vote late Sunday on beginning debate on a House-passed bill. This bill would be amended to pair a short-term funding measure, aimed at keeping the government open through January 2026, with three full-year appropriations bills.

According to a Reuters report, at least eight Democrats were expected to support this crucial procedural vote, which is enough to move the measure through the Republican-controlled chamber.

If the amended package is approved by the Senate, it would still need to pass the House of Representatives before heading to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could potentially take several days to complete.

Under an agreement brokered with a group of Democrats, Republicans would also allow a December vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, a key demand made by Democrats during the funding standoff.

The measure itself would reverse some of the administration’s mass layoffs of federal workers carried out during the shutdown and would provide a full year of funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

The deal was brokered by Democratic Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Senator Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Despite the bipartisan effort, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated that he would vote against the bill. Sunday marked the 40th day of the shutdown, which has resulted in closed federal facilities, disruptions to national parks, delayed food-aid disbursements, and worsened air traffic control staffing shortages just ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel period.

Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, commented that the mounting disruptions have been instrumental in pushing lawmakers toward an agreement, stating, “Temperatures cool, the atmospheric pressure increases outside, and all of a sudden it looks like things will come together.”

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett warned in a television interview that a prolonged shutdown could push fourth-quarter economic growth into negative territory, especially if air travel does not normalize by Thanksgiving on November 27.