President Donald Trump has signed a short-term spending bill that ends the longest government shutdown in US history. He approved the measure just hours after the House of Representatives voted 222 to 209 on Wednesday night. The Senate had already passed the same bill two days earlier after tense negotiations.
In the Oval Office, Trump announced that the government would “resume normal operations” after “people were hurt so badly” during the 43-day shutdown. Since October, most federal services had stopped. About 1.4 million federal workers were either on unpaid leave or working without pay. Food aid programs froze, and flight delays spread across the nation as air travel suffered.
Federal agencies prepare to reopen
Government operations are expected to restart within days, offering relief ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Air travel should stabilize as the Federal Aviation Administration restores full staffing levels. The agency had reduced air traffic because of widespread staff shortages during the shutdown.
The disruption even affected lawmakers trying to reach Washington for the vote. 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.
The temporary bill only keeps the government open until 30 January, giving Congress limited time to negotiate a longer-term funding plan.
Trump blames Democrats for the shutdown
Before signing the bill, Trump blamed the Democratic Party for the record closure. “They did it purely for political reasons,” he said, urging voters not to forget “what they’ve done to our country” during the next election season.
Although Democrats are the minority in the Senate, they blocked the earlier version of the funding bill. Republicans were seven votes short of the 60 needed to pass it. Democrats demanded that the package include an extension of healthcare subsidies for low-income Americans, which are due to expire at year’s end.
Republicans said that healthcare issues could be resolved after reopening the government. On Sunday, eight Senate Democrats broke ranks and voted for the bill after winning a promise of a December vote on the subsidies.
Their decision angered many within the party, drawing criticism from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Democrats split over the compromise
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the agreement “fails to do anything meaningful to fix America’s healthcare crisis.” Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, one of the Democrats who supported the bill, defended his vote. He said federal employees in his state were “saying thank you” for restoring their pay and ending the shutdown.
Just 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 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 backs petition on Epstein files
Democrats quickly enlisted Grijalva’s support for a petition demanding the release of documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The petition must sit for seven legislative days before moving forward. After that, House leaders are required to schedule a vote within two legislative days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson surprised colleagues by announcing he would hold the vote next week.
What’s inside the new spending plan
The deal reached over the weekend extends federal funding until 30 January. It provides full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, as well as funding for military construction projects and legislative agencies.
The measure guarantees all federal employees will receive back pay for the shutdown period. It also secures funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which supports one in eight Americans, until next September.
The package further includes a promise of a December vote on extending healthcare subsidies — a key Democratic demand that fueled weeks of political conflict and prolonged the shutdown.
