Trump signs bill to end longest US shutdown in history

Washington: President Donald Trump on Wednesday night signed a stopgap spending bill to reopen the federal government, ending the longest shutdown in US history after 43 days of suspended services, unpaid employees, and nationwide disruptions.

The House of Representatives approved the bill 222–209 earlier in the evening, two days after it narrowly passed the Senate.

Trump signed it within hours, telling reporters in the Oval Office that federal operations would “resume normal” after “people were hurt so badly” by the shutdown that began in October.

The funding measure keeps the government open only until 30 January, setting up another deadline for lawmakers to reach a longer-term agreement.

For weeks, around 1.4 million federal employees had been either furloughed or working without pay.

Critical government services, including food aid for low-income families, were left in limbo, while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) trimmed air traffic operations due to staffing shortages, causing delays ahead of the Thanksgiving travel rush.

Trump continued to blame the Democratic Party for the impasse, saying they blocked earlier funding proposals “purely for political reasons”.

Senate Democrats had initially refused to back a short-term bill unless Republicans agreed to extend expiring healthcare subsidies for low-income Americans.

However, on Sunday, eight Senate Democrats broke ranks, voting to advance the spending package after securing a promise of a December vote on the subsidies.

Their decision triggered internal backlash, with criticism from senior party leaders, including Hakeem Jeffries and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Among those supporting the compromise was Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who said the federal workers he represents had been “saying thank you” for ending the shutdown.

Earlier in the day, Democrats welcomed their newest member, Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who was sworn in after a delay caused by the House being out of session since mid-September.

Grijalva immediately signed a petition seeking a vote to release files linked to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would bring the measure to a vote next week.

The spending package passed this week includes full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, military construction, and legislative agencies.

It also guarantees back pay for all federal employees affected by the shutdown and extends funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through September.