The breakthrough on Sunday came after a group of centrist Democrats negotiated a deal to reopen the government through January if Republicans promise to hold a vote on expiring healthcare subsidies by December.

The package also included bills to fund some parts of the government, including food aid and the legislative branch, until the end of the fiscal year.

Some eight Democrats voted in favour of advancing the package.

Al Jazeera reported that the support from the Democrats meant that the Senate has the 60 votes required to break the weeks-long impasse.

“Now, this is what is called a cloture, a procedure by which the Senate agrees to continue the debate about the legislation and begin introducing and passing the bills aimed at ending the shutdown,” according to the report.

The important thing about the cloture vote is that once it is passed, at that 60 percent majority, every subsequent vote is by a simple majority. So it would appear to be plain sailing in the Senate to pass this bill and the continuing resolution to refund the government and ending the closure.

The amended package would still have to be passed by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days.

As news of the breakthrough emerged, Trump told reporters when he arrived at the White House after a weekend in Florida: “It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending.”

DID/