Bitcoin chatter surges as price recovers, US govt shutdown nears end

Bitcoin has been trending on social media over the last few days as US politicians have been working toward an end to the disruptive US government shutdown, culminating in the Senate’s passage of the highly contested funding bill on Monday. 

It reportedly took around 10 hours for Republicans to get the job done on Monday and obtain the 60 votes (eight being Democrats) needed to pass a funding bill that would cover most of the government’s expenses through to the end of January next year. 

“After passage, the CR goes to the House for a vote before we reopen. Hopefully, we’re open by Wednesday,” noted Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin via X on Monday. 

If the bill passes the House of Representatives, it would then be sent to US President Donald Trump for approval, which would bring an end to the longest US government shutdown on record. 

The US government shutdown has been disruptive, with over 1 million federal employees being left unpaid, according to CNN.