Congress set to act quickly to reopen government

WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress is expected to quickly pass legislation that would temporarily reopen the government after President Donald Trump announced a deal to end the record 35-day partial federal shutdown.

The Senate is set to act first, with the House following later Friday. That’s according to lawmakers and aides on Capitol Hill.

Trump has agreed to a deal that will fund the government for three weeks, through Feb. 15, while negotiations continue on his demand for billions of dollars to build a long-promised border wall with Mexico.

The legislation set to be passed by Congress will include back pay for some 800,000 federal workers who’ve gone without their salaries during the shutdown. The shutdown has disrupted services and created hardship for many workers.