The U.S. Senate on Sunday moved toward a vote on reopening the federal government amid optimism that an end to the historic shutdown, now in its 40th day, is within reach. Senators plan to vote on advancing a House-passed stopgap funding bill as early as Sunday evening, with the understanding that it would be amended to combine a short-term funding measure with a package of three full-year appropriations bills, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.

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. Senate Democrats so far have resisted efforts to pass a funding measure, aiming to pressure Republicans to agree to healthcare fixes that would include extending expiri

See Full Page