U.S. House Panel Votes Through Shutdown-Ending Bill

(MENAFN) The US House Rules Committee pushed forward shutdown-ending legislation Monday in a crucial step toward restoring government operations.

Committee members approved the financial package during an 8-4 party-line vote.

The lower chamber is poised to hold its final passage vote Tuesday.

Federal operations ground to a partial halt over the weekend after senators moved forward with legislation that excluded appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Friday saw the upper chamber deliver overwhelming approval for legislation reopening agencies covered by five standard appropriations measures while simultaneously extending a two-week temporary funding mechanism for the DHS.

The disruption, which commenced at 12.01 am Saturday, plunged vast portions of the federal apparatus and approximately 45% of government employees into limbo during an intense standoff over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement surge, particularly in Minnesota, impacting entities including the Pentagon, Treasury and the departments of State, Transportation, Homeland Security, Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development.

Should the House approve the proposal Tuesday, any operational disruption is anticipated to remain negligible.

Political appetite in Washington for replicating a prolonged closure resembling the 43-day impasse from late last year remains virtually nonexistent.

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