The US Senate late on Monday passed legislation to reopen the government and end the longest-running government shutdown on record.

Lawmakers passed the bill 60-40 after agreeing late Sunday to allow the bill to proceed to a vote and expedite its approval process. 

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called on lawmakers to begin heading back to Washington "right now" amid shutdown-related travel delays.

"It appears our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end," Johnson said.

The bill must now head to the House of Representatives where a vote is expected to take place on Wednesday before heading to President Donald Trump's desk to be signed.

The stopgap funding bill would allow the government to be funded until January 30.

The US government has been shut down since October 1 as Democrats refused to support a Republican-drafted spending bill they say will cut healthcare support for millions of people.

The shutdown has kept federal workers at home, while disrupting air travel, and food aid. 

What led to this?

The US Senate on Sunday night advanced a procedural measure aimed at ending the record-setting government shutdown.

The vote to advance the funding bill passed with the support of some Democrats. Republicans currently hold a majority in the Senate, with 53 of the upper chamber's 100 seats. 

Seven Democrats, and one independent, voted to advance the package, drawing criticism from party ranks for siding with Republicans.

What does the bill call for? 

The bill would restore funding for the SNAP food stamp program, which helps 42 million people pay for groceries.Thousands of federal workers fired by President Donald Trump over the past month would also get their jobs back.

On the crucial issue of health care, Republicans also agreed to a vote in December on extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, which are due to expire at the end of the year.

Democrats have insisted that any vote to reopen the US government should also be tied to a vote extending ACA subsidies. 

Lower-income Americans are dependent on these subsidies to pay for private health insurance.

"I have long said that to earn my vote, we need to be on a path toward fixing Republicans' health care mess and to protect the federal workforce," Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said in a statement.

However, many Senate Democrats opposed the deal.

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, voted against the measure, arguing that the deal offers a vote for extending the health care tax credits, rather than extending them directly. 

Edited by: Wesley Rahn