The late-night vote is a step towards bringing the 40-day partial shutdown - and long security lines at US airports - to an end.

The US Senate has voted to end a partial 40-day government shutdown, approving funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - but with immigration enforcement excluded.

The almost six-week funding lapse has had a knock-on effect on air travel in the US. Airport security workers’ salaries are paid by the DHS, and hundreds have quit since the shutdown began.

Democrats had refused to agree a funding deal without reforms to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, but the Senate reached unanimous agreement in the early hours of Friday morning after stripping ICE and parts of border protection out of the measure.

The deal now faces a vote in the House of Representatives.

It is hoped that the fresh package can bring an end to widespread disruption at airports across the US, where travellers have faced hours-long queues due to a shortage of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at security checkpoints.