United States federal government shutdown

Kirby, who is the coordinator of strategic communications at the National Security Council at the White House, explained that a decision by Congress on additional appropriations is necessary.

The U.S. Senate approved a budget deal including a stopgap government funding bill early on Friday, but it was too late to prevent a federal shutdown that was already underway in an embarrassing setback for the Republican-controlled Congress.

Congress put the U.S. government back in business on Jan. 22 by voting to end a three-day shutdown, as President Donald Trump claimed victory in his standoff with Democrats in Washington.

The federal government will be open for business Tuesday after President Trump signed a bill funding the government until Feb. 8, Fox News reports.

Trump signed the measure Monday evening, hours after the House and Senate approved the package by wide margins as Senate Democrats backed off their opposition. 

After five years of failed attempts, the U.S. Senate Republicans on Dec. 4 passed a symbolic partisan bill to gut President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform law, but the effort has already been condemned to death by Obama's plans to veto it. 

Facing intense pressure to avoid a government shutdown, the US House of Representatives narrowly passed a $1.1 trillion federal spending bill Dec. 11, sending it to the Senate after it was ushered through barely two hours before a midnight deadline.