Trump latest news: Eight Democrats cross the aisle to vote with GOP senators as government shutdown appears to end

The president was speaking last night after lawmakers in the Senate struck a deal that saw eight of the chamber’s moderate Democrats cross the aisle in a 60-40 vote that cleared its filibuster threshold. The development puts the resolution on schedule for a vote Monday or early this week.

The agreement backed by the breakaway Democrats and their Republican counterparts would extend government funding through the end of January and allow further negotiations to take place on a range of issues, including subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans.

President Donald Trump has said an agreement to end the government shutdown could finally be in sight after 41 days of federal workers going unpaid and public services being cut to the bone.

“We’ll never agree to give any substantial money, or any money, to prisoners, illegals who come into our country. And I think the Democrats understand that,” Trump said as he returned to the White House late Sunday.

“And it looks like we’re getting close to the shutdown ending. You’ll know very soon.”

The deadlock, which began on October 1, is already the longest in American history, surpassing the 35-day impasse from late 2018 to early 2019 in his first term.

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the U.S. government shutdown, which could finally be about to come to an end after senators agreed a short-term funding deal late Sunday.