Trump Signs Short-Term Spending Bill, Ending 43-Day U.S. Government Shutdown

President Signs Bill to Reopen Federal Government

President Donald Trump has signed a short-term spending bill into law, reopening the federal government and ending a 43-day shutdown — the longest in modern U.S. history. The measure became law hours after the House approved it 222-209, following a narrow approval in the Senate days earlier.

What the Bill Does

The stopgap funding package keeps government operations running only through 30 January. It includes full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, money for military construction and legislative agencies, protections guaranteeing that federal employees will be paid for the shutdown period, and funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through next September. The bill also contains a commitment to hold a December vote on extending health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans that were central to earlier negotiations.

Impact and Disruptions

Since October, many federal services were suspended and roughly 1.4 million federal workers were either furloughed or required to work without pay. Food assistance programs were left uncertain and the Federal Aviation Administration reduced some air traffic operations because staffing shortages affected safety and capacity, disrupting travel nationwide ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Political Fallout

Before signing the bill, Mr. Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown, saying,

“They did it purely for political reasons. When we come up to midterms and other things, don't forget what they've done to our country.”

Senate Democrats initially blocked funding because Republicans were seven votes short of the 60 needed to advance a bill. Many demanded that Republicans agree to extend expiring health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans. Over the weekend, a group of eight Senate Democrats broke with their party and voted for the package after securing a promise of a December vote on the subsidies, prompting sharp criticism from some Democratic leaders.

Notable Moments

• Republican Representative Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin reportedly rode his motorcycle nearly 1,000 miles (about 1,609 km) to Washington to cast his vote on the House floor.
• Democrats welcomed Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, sworn in hours before the House vote after a delayed oath; she was quickly assigned to support a petition seeking release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would schedule a vote on the petition for next week.

What Comes Next

With funding extended only until 30 January, lawmakers must return to negotiations early next year to agree on a longer-term spending package and to resolve outstanding disputes over healthcare subsidies. In the short term, officials expect most government operations to restart within days and air travel disruptions to ease ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.