President Donald Trump has signed a short-term spending bill to reopen the federal government, ending the longest shutdown in US history after 43 days of partial closure.
The president signed the measure into law on Wednesday night, just hours after the House of Representatives approved it by a 222–209 vote and two days after the Senate narrowly passed the same bill. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the government would now “resume normal operations” after “people were hurt so badly” by the shutdown.
Since October, many federal services have been suspended, with about 1.4 million federal workers furloughed or working without pay. Food assistance programmes were left in limbo, and air travel across the country was disrupted as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cut air traffic due to staffing shortages. Those delays even affected lawmakers trying to reach Washington for Wednesday’s vote.
In one notable case, Wisconsin Republican Derrick Van Orden rode his motorcycle nearly 1,000 miles to make it to the Capitol in time to cast his vote.
Government agencies are expected to reopen in the coming days, and aviation disruptions are likely to ease ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The bill, however, only funds the government until 30 January, setting up another deadline for Congress and the White House to strike a longer-term agreement.
Trump repeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown, claiming: “They did it purely for political reasons,” and urging supporters not to forget the standoff “when we come up to midterms and other things.”
Democrats, though in the minority in the Senate, were able to block earlier funding bills by withholding the votes Republicans needed to advance them. They initially demanded an extension of health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans due to expire at year’s end. A group of eight Senate Democrats ultimately backed the compromise after securing a promise of a December vote on the subsidies, prompting anger from party leaders including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticised the package for failing to address what he called America’s “healthcare crisis,” while Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, one of the eight, said federal workers he represents were “saying thank you” for ending the shutdown.
The bill includes full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, military construction and legislative agencies, guarantees back pay for all federal workers, extends SNAP food aid until next September, and formalises the promised December vote on the disputed healthcare subsidies.
Democrats also welcomed their newest member, Arizona Representative Adelita Grijalva, sworn in just hours before the House vote. She immediately joined a petition to force a vote on releasing files related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, which Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged to schedule for next week.
