U.S. President Donald Trump signed on Wednesday a bill ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, just hours after the House of Representatives voted to resume halted food-assistance programs, pay hundreds of thousands of federal employees, and reactivate the nation’s air traffic control system, which had been disrupted by the shutdown. The House, controlled by Republicans, passed the funding package with a 222–209 majority, benefiting from Trump’s support, which helped maintain party unity despite strong opposition from House Democrats, who expressed frustration over the Senate’s failure to reach an agreement to extend federal health-insurance support.
Trump’s signature on the legislation approved by the Senate earlier in the week will bring back federal employees who were furloughed for 43 days, starting Thursday, though the pace at which government services will return to full capacity remains unclear. During the signing ceremony at the White House, Trump stated: “We must not allow this to happen again. You cannot run a country this way,” referring to the shutdown’s impact on the economy and federal administration.
The agreement extends government funding until January 30, keeping spending on a path that adds roughly $1.8 trillion annually to the federal debt, now standing at $38 trillion. Republican Representative David Schweikert of Arizona likened Congress’s handling of the crisis to an episode of “Seinfeld,” saying the nation spent 40 days in chaos without a clear purpose. He added: “What you’re seeing now is what happens when anger becomes policy.”
Ending the shutdown revived hopes for restoring essential services, especially in the aviation sector, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday travel peak in two weeks. The resumption of food-assistance programs will also ease financial strain on millions of families, potentially supporting consumer spending as the Christmas shopping season begins. The agreement will also restart the flow of economic data from federal agencies data whose absence during the shutdown left investors and policymakers uncertain about labor-market, inflation, and growth indicators. However, the White House noted that some reports, such as October employment data and the Consumer Price Index, may never be released due to the halt in data collection during the shutdown.
According to several economists, the shutdown was shaving off more than a tenth of a percentage point from GDP nearly every week of the six week standoff, though most of that impact is expected to be recovered in the coming months.
The vote came eight days after Democrats secured several significant election victories, boosting their confidence that health-insurance support could be extended before its expiration at year end. Although the current agreement sets the stage for a Senate vote on this issue in December, House Speaker Mike Johnson offered no similar commitment in the House. Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill recently elected governor of New Jersey gave her final speech in the House before leaving Congress, urging colleagues not to allow the chamber to become a “rubber stamp” for Trump administration policies. She said: “Do not let this institution become an instrument of an administration that takes food from children and strips families of healthcare.”
Despite the partisan clashes, neither party achieved a clear political victory. A Reuters Ipsos poll showed that 50% of Americans blame Republicans for the shutdown, compared to 47% who blame Democrats. The vote also marked the House’s first working day since mid-September, following a long recess intended to pressure Democrats. The chamber also resumed work on other sensitive matters, including demands by some lawmakers to release unclassified records related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The funding bill also includes a provision granting eight Republican senators the right to sue the Department of Justice for compensation of up to $500,000 over alleged privacy violations during federal investigations into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack along with covering legal fees and other related costs.
With this agreement, a political and economic crisis that had paralyzed wide sectors of the U.S. government and undermined confidence among investors and households comes to an end, even as debates continue over federal spending priorities and the future of social support and healthcare programs in the United States.
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