President Donald Trump has approved a short-term spending bill that ends the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. He signed the measure just hours after the House of Representatives voted 222 to 209 on Wednesday night. The Senate had narrowly passed the same legislation two days earlier after intense negotiations.
In the Oval Office, Trump said the government would “resume normal operations” after “people were hurt so badly” during the 43-day closure. Since October, many federal agencies had halted operations. About 1.4 million government employees were either on unpaid leave or forced to work without pay. Food aid programs stalled, and nationwide air travel experienced major delays.
Government agencies set to reopen
Federal services are expected to restart within days, providing relief ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Air travel should stabilize as the Federal Aviation Administration restores full staffing. The agency had limited flights nationwide due to severe staff shortages during the shutdown.
The shutdown even affected Congress. Wisconsin Republican Derrick Van Orden rode his motorcycle nearly 1,000 miles to Washington to cast his vote in the House before the bill reached the president’s desk.
However, the law only funds the government until 30 January, leaving lawmakers with little time to reach a long-term funding solution.
Trump blames Democrats for shutdown
Before signing the bill, Trump blamed Democrats for the prolonged closure. “They did it purely for political reasons,” he said, urging Americans not to forget “what they’ve done to our country” in future elections.
Although Democrats hold a minority in the Senate, they blocked an earlier version of the funding bill. Republicans fell seven votes short of the 60 required for passage. Democrats demanded the legislation include an extension of healthcare subsidies for low-income Americans, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
Republicans insisted healthcare could be addressed after reopening the government. On Sunday, eight Senate Democrats broke with their party and voted for the bill after securing a promise of a December vote on the subsidies.
The decision angered many Democrats, drawing criticism from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Democratic divisions over the compromise
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bill “fails to do anything of substance to fix America’s healthcare crisis.” Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, one of the Democrats who supported it, defended his vote. He said federal employees in his state were “saying thank you” for restoring their pay and reopening the government.
Hours before the House vote, Democrats welcomed a new member, Adelita Grijalva, who was finally sworn in after weeks of delay. She had been elected on 23 September but could not take office earlier because the House had been out of session since 19 September. Grijalva now fills the seat once held by her late father, Raul Grijalva.
New congresswoman backs Epstein document petition
Democrats quickly enlisted Grijalva to support a petition demanding the release of documents tied to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The petition must sit for seven legislative days before advancing. After that, House leaders must schedule a vote within two legislative days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson surprised lawmakers by announcing the vote would take place next week.
Key details of the funding bill
The deal extends federal funding until 30 January. It provides full-year financing for the Department of Agriculture, along with funding for military construction and legislative agencies.
The bill guarantees back pay for all federal employees affected by the shutdown. It also funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which supports one in eight Americans, until next September.
Finally, the package includes a commitment to hold a December vote on healthcare subsidies — the main issue that fueled weeks of political deadlock and prolonged the shutdown.
