House returns from nearly 2-month absence as government shutdown nears end

Washington — The House returns Wednesday for the first time since the start of the government shutdown and nearly two months after it last voted, bringing an end to the chamber's longest absence in recent memory.

The House has been out of session since Sept. 19, when it passed a Republican measure to fund the government until Nov. 21. But the funding bill stalled in the Senate, where it needed Democratic support for passage. A breakthrough in the seven-week stalemate came this week when several Democratic senators cut a deal with Republicans to end the shutdown.

The Senate amended the House-passed bill to include three full-year appropriations bills , while extending the remainder of government funding until Jan. 30.

In exchange for their votes, Senate Republicans promised De