An agreement has been reached to advance a deal aimed at ending the longest US government shutdown ever recorded.

A procedural vote held on Sunday night saw senators advance a House-approved bill, which will be amended to fund the government until 30 January.

Millions of American lives have been disrupted since the shutdown took effect on 1 October , when all non-essential parts of government were frozen as it ran out of money.

The shutdown, which was the first in almost seven years, was triggered by politicians failing to pass new funding bills amid a stand-off between the Democrats and Republicans over healthcare spending.

Read more:

US government shutdown: What does it mean?

If the Senate passes the amended measure, it still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives

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