Donald Trump has signed a spending bill to officially end the longest government shutdown in US history. The bill, which had earlier cleared the House of Representatives with 222 votes in favor and 209 against, saw six Democrats backing the Republican-led measure. With Trump’s signature, the government will finally reopen, bringing an end to the 43-day shutdown.
Trump signs bill to end longest shutdown in US history
US president Donald Trump signed a funding bill to reopen the US government, officially ending the US govt shutdown. The bill will bring government employees back to work, restore funding for federal agencies, departments, and programs, and provide back pay to the hundreds of thousands of workers who missed paychecks since the shutdown began on October 1.
In his speech before signing the bill, Trump lashed out at Democrats, blaming them for the shutdown. He said Democrats were “happy for millions of Americans to suffer” and called the funding standoff “extortion.” “That is what it was. The Democrats tried to extort our country,” Trump said, adding that the shutdown happened “purely for political reasons.”
Trump also pointed out the serious impact the shutdown had across the country, saying “people were hurt so badly.” He claimed that over 20,000 flights were delayed or cancelled, food benefits were disrupted, and federal workers were furloughed or went without pay during the shutdown. “Nobody’s ever seen anything like this one,” he said.
Ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections, Trump urged Americans to remember this moment when they vote. “I just want to tell the American people, you should not forget this when we come up to the midterms,” he said, pushing for Republicans to maintain control of the tightly divided House of Representatives.
Earlier, Trump was scheduled to have a private dinner at 7:30 pm ET with limited media coverage, but that event was later closed to the press.
The White House said that instead of covering the dinner, cameras will be allowed inside the Oval Office to record the bill signing.
The schedule change came after a White House press briefing earlier in the day, where press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that reporters might see the President later in the evening during the signing.
The event will officially mark the end of the longest government shutdown in US history.
What does the bill include and what it leaves out?
As voting on the bill concludes, here’s a look at what the deal covers and what it leaves out.
What’s included: The deal cancels all layoffs of government employees that happened during the shutdown. It also ensures that all federal workers will get full back pay for the time they couldn’t work. In addition, it extends the temporary funding plan that keeps the government running until January.
What’s not included: However, the deal leaves out one of the main demands from Democrats, a guaranteed extension of health insurance subsidies. Instead of adding this extension directly to the funding bill, lawmakers have agreed to hold a separate vote on these tax credits later, at the end of the second week in December.
End of longest US government shutdown
After weeks without pay, hundreds of thousands of government employees will soon return to work. The new funding plan ensures they will receive back pay for the time they were off duty.
Preschools and food assistance programs that were closed will reopen, along with federal offices and national landmarks. Important government reports about the US economy will also start coming out again, though with some delays.
