16/11/25

Donald Trump signs spending bill to end longest-ever US shutdown

President ends 43-day impasse that left thousands of federal workers furloughed

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This article is republished from The Financial Times

President ends 43-day impasse that left thousands of federal workers furloughed

The longest federal government shutdown in US history has ended after President Donald Trump signed into law a new funding package following a narrow vote in the House of Representatives.

The Republican-controlled House late on Wednesday voted 222 to 209 in favour of a bill to reopen the federal government and keep it funded until the end of January.

The legislation had passed in the Senate on Monday.

The bill was immediately sent to the president’s desk for approval, ending a 43-day impasse that saw thousands of federal workers furloughed, disrupted welfare programmes and caused chaos at airports as flights were cancelled and delayed.

“The extremists in the other party insisted on creating the longest government shutdown in American history and they did it for purely political reasons,” said Trump ahead of the signing as he sought to pin blame on the Democratic party.

“I just want to tell the American people you should not forget this when we come up to midterms and other things; don’t forget what they’ve done to our country.”

Government services are expected to reopen over the coming days, while limits on US air travel will gradually be eased.

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson pushed the bill through the House despite his narrow majority in the lower chamber.

All but two Republicans voted in favour of the bill. They were joined by six Democrats, all of whom represent districts won by Trump in last year’s presidential election.

Following the vote Johnson accused Democrats of undertaking a “selfish political stunt” in prolonging the “pointless and foolish” shutdown.

“Now that Republicans have succeeded in ending the Democrat shutdown, we look forward to continuing our important legislative work delivering results for the American people,” Johnson and other senior Republican lawmakers said in a joint statement.

The deal approved by lawmakers was reached over the weekend in closed-door negotiations between rank-and-file Democratic senators and their Republican counterparts.

It will reverse the lay-offs of federal employees initiated by the White House and guarantee that furloughed workers receive back pay.

The agreement sharply divided Democratic lawmakers, many of whom accused senators of surrendering to Trump and the Republicans.

For six weeks, Democrats had insisted that reopening the government was contingent on reversing planned cuts to healthcare tax credits that are due to expire at the end of the year.

The deal struck by senators does not guarantee the tax credits will be saved but instead ensures a vote on the issue next month.

Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, had urged his colleagues to vote against the bill. Speaking on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday morning, Jeffries said the proposal “fails to address the Republican healthcare crisis and it fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits”.

The shutdown lasted significantly longer than the previous 35-day record during Trump’s first term.

As well as the furloughing of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, the shutdown imperilled benefits for low-income Americans, including the more than 40mn people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for food benefits.