The federal government shutdown , now the longest in U.S. history, is nearing an end after the Senate voted 60-40 Sunday, a key vote towards reopening the government.

The vote followed a deal between eight Senate Democrats, Republican leaders and the White House that links future votes on health care subsidies to assurances that laid-off federal workers will be reinstated.

The shutdown began on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass full funding bills. When the government shuts down, most federal agencies are forced to close or scale back operations because Congress has not approved new funding.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers were furloughed without pay, SNAP beneficiaries were told they would not receive their benefits starting Nov. 1 and airlines cancelled flights due to th

See Full Page