President Donald Trump has signed a short-term spending bill to end the longest government shutdown in United States history, bringing relief after weeks of disruption and financial strain for millions of Americans.
The president signed the measure into law on Wednesday night, only hours after the House of Representatives passed it in a 222-209 vote. The Senate had narrowly approved the same bill two days earlier. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said federal agencies would “resume normal operations” and acknowledged that “people were hurt so badly” during the 43-day closure.
Since October, about 1.4 million federal workers have either been on unpaid leave or forced to work without pay. Many government programs were suspended, food assistance was left uncertain, and air travel across the country slowed due to staff shortages.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had cut back on air traffic operations, creating delays nationwide. Officials say services are expected to reopen in the coming days, and travel disruptions could ease before the Thanksgiving holiday.
The shutdown even affected lawmakers’ ability to return to Washington for the vote. Wisconsin Republican Derrick Van Orden rode his motorcycle nearly 1,000 miles to make it to the Capitol in time to cast his ballot before the bill reached the president’s desk.
However, the new law is a temporary fix. It funds the government only until January 30, meaning Congress must again find a longer-term solution before that deadline.
Before signing the measure, Trump placed blame squarely on Democrats. “They did it purely for political reasons,” he said. “When we come up to midterms and other things, don't forget what they've done to our country.”
The shutdown was triggered when Senate Democrats, though in the minority, withheld their support for an earlier funding bill. They demanded that Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans argued that healthcare issues could be addressed after government funding was restored.
By Sunday, eight Senate Democrats broke ranks with their party and voted for the compromise deal after securing a promise for a December vote on the healthcare subsidies. Their decision caused internal backlash, drawing criticism from figures such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the final package “fails to do anything of substance to fix America’s healthcare crisis.” But Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, one of the Democrats who supported the measure, defended the decision, saying federal workers in his state were “saying thank you” for reopening the government.
As the House prepared to vote on the spending bill, Democrats welcomed their newest member, Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who was sworn in on Wednesday. Her addition did not change the outcome of the healthcare debate, but her arrival was met with applause from her colleagues. Grijalva, elected in September, fills the seat left vacant by her late father, Raul Grijalva.
Soon after taking office, she joined fellow Democrats in backing a petition to force a vote on releasing files linked to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The petition must remain for seven legislative days before a vote can be called. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he would schedule that vote next week.
The short-term deal Trump signed provides funding for several key sectors, including full-year budgets for the Department of Agriculture, military construction, and legislative agencies. It also guarantees that federal workers will receive back pay for the shutdown period and ensures continued funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through next September.
Lawmakers also agreed to hold a December vote on the healthcare subsidies that Democrats had fought to include. While the bill’s passage ends the historic standoff for now, the political battle over long-term funding and healthcare is far from over.
