President Donald Trump has signed a temporary spending bill that ends the longest government shutdown in American history. He approved the measure only hours after the House of Representatives voted 222 to 209 in favor on Wednesday night. The Senate had narrowly passed the same bill two days earlier.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump announced that the government would “resume normal operations” after “people were hurt so badly” during the 43-day closure. Since October, most government services had been suspended. Around 1.4 million federal employees were either on unpaid leave or working without pay. Food aid programs froze, and air travel across the country suffered major disruptions.
Federal services set to restart
Government operations are expected to resume within days, providing relief before the busy Thanksgiving travel season. Air traffic will likely stabilize as the Federal Aviation Administration restores normal staffing. The agency had limited flights because of severe staff shortages during the shutdown.
The closure even disrupted members of Congress trying to return to Washington. Wisconsin Republican Derrick Van Orden rode his motorcycle nearly 1,000 miles to cast his vote in the House before the bill reached the president’s desk.
However, the measure only funds the government until 30 January. Lawmakers must now work toward a longer-term deal to prevent another shutdown early next year.
Trump blames Democrats for the crisis
Before signing the bill, Trump again pointed to Democrats as responsible for the shutdown. “They did it purely for political reasons,” he said, warning voters not to forget “what they’ve done to our country” when future elections arrive.
Despite being the minority in the Senate, Democrats managed to block the earlier funding proposal. Republicans fell seven votes short of the 60 required to pass it. Democrats refused to support the measure unless Republicans agreed to extend health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans that are due to expire this year.
Republicans argued that healthcare could be discussed once the government reopened. On Sunday, eight Senate Democrats broke ranks and voted for the spending bill after receiving a promise of a December vote on the subsidies.
The decision angered party members and drew sharp criticism from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Democrats divided over the compromise
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the deal “a failure to fix America’s healthcare crisis.” Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, one of the Democrats who supported the measure, defended his vote. He said federal employees in his state were “saying thank you” for reopening the government and restoring their pay.
Hours before the House vote, Democrats welcomed their newest member, Adelita Grijalva, who was finally sworn in after weeks of delay. She had been elected on 23 September but could not take her seat earlier because the House had been out of session since 19 September. Grijalva now fills the seat once held by her father, Raul Grijalva, who died earlier this year.
New lawmaker joins push for transparency
Democrats quickly enlisted Grijalva’s support for a petition demanding the release of documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The petition must remain open for seven legislative days before it can move forward. After that, House leaders must schedule a vote within two legislative days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson surprised many by announcing he would hold that vote next week.
What the new deal includes
The weekend agreement extends government funding until 30 January. It provides full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, as well as money for military construction and legislative agencies.
The bill guarantees that all federal employees receive back pay for the shutdown period. It also secures funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food support to one in eight Americans, until next September.
The package includes a promise of a December vote on extending healthcare subsidies—an issue that had stalled negotiations and fueled weeks of political tension in Washington.
