Senators have passed a deal that paves the way to ending the longest US government shutdown in history
A group of Democratic lawmakers backed an agreement negotiated with Republicans in the Senate - here is who they are
After 40 days of stalemate, this is the first sign of any progress - but the deal still needs to pass the House, and Democrats opposed to it in the Senate could slow the process down
Some high-profile Democrats are furious a minority of their Senate colleagues did a deal with Trump's Republicans
In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of government workers have gone without pay, and services have been disrupted across the US
Trump and the Republicans will be pleased - and this vote could further divide Democrats, writes our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher
Deal passes despite Democratic and Republican leaders still being at odds
Donald Trump says he believes the US government shutdown will end soon.
Speaking briefly to reporters, he says "we'll know very soon".
As a reminder, voting is still under way in the Senate but it is becoming clear that enough Democrats are ready to back the deal for it to pass imminently.
Watch: 'We're getting close to the shutdown ending', Trump says
Ana Faguy
Reporting from Washington DC
This Senate vote is the first and, some would argue, biggest battle to reopen the US government - but the fight is not over yet.
If this procedural vote should pass the Senate - as it appears it will any moment now - it still needs to go to the House and to the president's desk.
While Donald Trump has said he will back the proposal to reopen the government, many in the House have said they will not.
With the house out of session - and in many instances lawmakers out of town - it will be a difficult task to get the votes needed because of the travel difficulties caused by the government shutdown.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
History suggests that the party that triggers a government shutdown tends to get very little in return for their efforts. On Sunday, it appears history will repeat itself.
Senate Democrats, who had prevented Republicans from passing government-funding legislation for 40 days, demanded an extension of health insurance subsidies for more than 20 million Americans.
But with this deal, which a handful of their number appear to support, all the party gets is a chance to vote on an extension, with no guarantee of success.
Voting is still under way in the Senate - stick with us for updates.
Ana Faguy
Reporting from Washington DC
The major sticking point for Democrats in this government shutdown battle was securing an extension on healthcare benefits for millions of Americans.
As part of the deal that was negotiated, Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised Democrats he would hold a vote on extending those healthcare benefits by the second week of December.
Thune spoke on the floor just before the Senate began voting to advance the first part of the deal.
“I’m thankful to be able to say we have senators, both Democrats and Republicans, who are eager to get to work to address that crisis in a bipartisan way,” Thune said.
“We also have a president who is willing to sit down and get to work on this issue. So I’m looking forward to see what solutions might be brought forward.”
Thune did not say exactly what that bill would contain.
Earlier, we heard Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer explaining why he would vote against deal, saying “America is in the midst of a Republican-made Health Care crisis”.
He continued: “Democrats have been fighting to end this crisis over and over again.
"We offered Republicans a compromise, a proposal that would extend the ACA tax credits for a year and open up the government at the same time. They once again said no.
"They showed they are against any health care reform.”
Image source, GettySenate Majority Leader John Thune just confirmed the Senate will vote now on the proposed solution to end the government shutdown.
Stick with us.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe're now hearing from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is speaking on the Senate floor.
He confirms he will not the back the deal that some of his colleagues have agreed to with the Republican majority.
We'll bring you more of his comments shortly.
Ana Faguy
Reporting from Washington DC
The Republicans control the Senate with a 53-47 margin.
They need 60 votes to reopen the government and now we're learning they have at least enough to reach 60.
That's because at least seven Democrats are supporting this Republican-proposed agreement.
We're keeping an eye on proceedings in the Senate, where a deal could be voted on shortly.
The earliest time a first procedural vote could be held was 20:00 in Washington (01:00 GMT) but that hasn't materialised yet.
If a deal passed, that wouldn't open the government immediately but would be the first step.
The timeline for the formal passage of the agreement, and how much debate time there would have to be, will be hashed out in the coming days and could be slowed by senators opposed to the deal.
Any deal would then have to return to the House for another vote.
Maine Senator Angus King and New Hampshire Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan are leading the deal, which has been reached with Senate Majority leader John Thune as well as the White House, a source tells CBS.
The deal includes a reversal of all reduction in force notices, or layoffs, that occurred during the shutdown, and extends the stopgap funding measure through January, among other things, according to a source cited by CBS.
It also includes a vote on health insurance tax credits that Democrats wanted. This vote will occur by the end of the second week of December, according to the deal.
A deal has been reached in the Senate that could end the government shutdown, a source tells the BBC's US news partner, CBS. The deal would still need to be approved by the House of Representatives.
At least eight Democrats are prepared to vote for the negotiated deal, the source says. The shutdown, which started on 1 October this year, is the longest in American history.