President Donald Trump has signed a short-term budget bill that reopens the federal government after the longest shutdown in US history. He approved the measure just hours after the House of Representatives voted 222 to 209 in favor on Wednesday night. Two days earlier, the Senate narrowly passed the same deal.
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 public services had stopped. Around 1.4 million federal workers were either on unpaid leave or working without pay. Food aid programs froze, and air travel across the country faced serious delays.
Government slowly returns to normal
Federal services are expected to restart within days, easing the strain before the Thanksgiving rush. Air travel should also stabilize as the Federal Aviation Administration restores full staffing. The agency had reduced flight operations because of staff shortages caused by the shutdown.
The crisis even affected lawmakers trying to reach Washington. Wisconsin Republican Derrick Van Orden rode his motorcycle nearly 1,000 miles to cast his vote in the House before the bill reached Trump’s desk.
The measure only funds the government until 30 January, giving Congress little time to negotiate a longer-term solution and prevent another shutdown.
Trump blames Democrats for the standoff
Before signing the bill, Trump placed responsibility for the shutdown on Democrats. “They did it purely for political reasons,” he said, urging voters not to forget “what they’ve done to our country” when elections come.
Although Democrats hold a minority in the Senate, they managed to block the earlier funding bill. Republicans fell seven votes short of the 60 needed to pass it. Democrats demanded an extension of healthcare subsidies for low-income Americans, which are set to expire at year’s end.
Republicans argued that the healthcare issue could be handled later, once the government reopened. On Sunday, eight Senate Democrats broke with their party and supported the spending bill after securing a promise of a December vote on the subsidies.
The move triggered outrage among Democrats, drawing criticism from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Democratic divide widens over healthcare deal
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the compromise “fails to do anything of substance to fix America’s healthcare crisis.” But 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 their newest member, Adelita Grijalva, who was finally sworn in after weeks of delay. She had won her seat on 23 September but could not take office sooner 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 congresswoman backs Epstein document push
Democrats quickly asked Grijalva to support a petition demanding the release of files tied to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The petition must sit for seven legislative days before it can advance. After that, House leaders must schedule a vote within two legislative days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson surprised lawmakers by announcing he would hold that vote next week.
What’s inside the new funding package
The budget agreement reached over the weekend extends federal funding until 30 January. It includes full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, as well as money for military construction and legislative agencies.
The bill guarantees back pay for all federal workers affected by the shutdown. It also continues support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food aid to one in eight Americans, until next September.
Finally, the deal includes a pledge to hold a December vote on extending healthcare subsidies—an issue that fueled weeks of political deadlock and deepened divisions in Congress.
