US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the government shutdown in the United States may soon come to an end. His statement came after a CNN report that Senate leaders from both parties and the White House had reached a deal to reopen the government. The agreement reportedly involves eight Senate Democrats who have agreed to support the proposal in exchange for a future discussion on expanding healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending. We never agreed to give any money to prisoners or illegal immigrants, and I think the Democrats now understand that.”

According to CNN, the deal would end what has become the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The agreement includes a short-term measure to fund the government until January, along with a larger package to provide full funding for several federal agencies.

The Senate is expected to vote on the deal on Sunday night, between 8:30 and 9 p.m. (Eastern Time). The agreement was reportedly negotiated by three former governors, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire, and Angus King from Maine, along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and officials from the White House.

Although the deal does not guarantee that Republicans will extend the Affordable Care subsidies, Democrats involved in the talks believe discussions on that issue will continue in the coming weeks. However, not all Democratic leaders have publicly supported the deal yet. Senior Senate Democrats held a closed-door meeting for several hours on Sunday to discuss their position.

Meanwhile, House Democratic leaders have strongly criticised the proposed deal. They plan to hold their own internal meeting on Monday to decide their next steps. If the Senate passes the proposal, it will go back to the House for approval and then to President Trump’s desk for final signing.

Once that happens, the U.S. government will officially reopen. However, the entire process may take a few more days to complete. The agreement marks a possible breakthrough after weeks of political deadlock that had left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay and disrupted public services across the country