Shutdown deal clears key House hurdle, setting stage for final vote tonight
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The record-breaking US government shutdown looks set to finally end after 43 days.
Federal funding legislation aimed at opening up the government survived a key test vote in the House late Wednesday, poised for final approval within hours.
That means the bill could hit President Donald Trump’s desk Wednesday night, possibly ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Trump will sign the bill, the White House announced in an administration policy statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Speaker Mike Johnson holds the gavel during the first session of the 119th Congress in the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2025 in Washington. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The Administration urges all Members of Congress to support this responsible, good-intentioned product that will finally end the longest shutdown in history,” the statement said. The statement was included.
The bill cleared a procedural hurdle known as a rules vote; here, lawmakers decide whether to allow debate on the bill before a final vote on passage.
Rules votes often fall along partisan lines and are not an indicator of whether a bill will be bipartisan.
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A majority of House Democrats still oppose the bill, but it’s possible that at least a few moderates will defy their leaders and support it.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) told reporters hours before the vote that Democrats were disappointed that the bill did nothing to address COVID-19 pandemic-era health care subsidies under Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These enhanced tax credits will expire this year.
“House Democrats are here on the Capitol steps to reiterate our strong opposition to this spending bill because it fails to address the Republican health crisis and fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credit,” Jeffries said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on November 3, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., struck an optimistic tone in comments to reporters Wednesday morning ahead of the vote.
“I wanted to come out and say that we believe the long national nightmare will end tonight,” Johnson said. “In the end it was completely stupid and pointless.”
Meanwhile, the effects of the shutdown on the country became more severe by the day.
Forced to work without pay, many of the thousands of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents have been forced to take second jobs, causing flight delays and cancellations across the country due to staffing shortages at the nation’s busiest airports. As funding for critical government programs runs out, millions of Americans who rely on federal aid are left in limbo.
At the heart of the problem was Democratic leaders’ refusal to support any funding bill that did not include increased Obamacare subsidies. Democrats argued this was the best hope of preventing health care price increases for Americans across the US
Republicans have agreed to hold talks on reforming the health care system they view as broken, but have refused to match any partisan priorities with federal funding.
In the end, a compromise led by the Senate, in which eight Democrats in the upper chamber joined their colleagues and passed the bill by a vote of 60 to 40, included a side deal that guaranteed a December vote for the left on extending increased subsidies.
President Donald Trump speaks with Senate and House Republicans during breakfast in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington on November 5, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP Newsroom)
However, Johnson made no such promise in the House of Representatives.
And the lack of a guarantee that those subsidies will be extended has angered progressives and Democratic leaders.
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“What were Republicans willing to give in the end, other than a handshake agreement for a future vote on expanding health subsidies?” Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., said Wednesday. “We all know that a vote in the future is the equivalent of asking two wolves and a chicken to vote on what to have for dinner. The chicken is dead on arrival.”
The full parliament will now vote on the legislation at 19:00.
The bill kicks off the current federal funding fight through Jan. 30, at which point House GOP leaders have said they are confident they will finish working on a longer-term deal for fiscal year (FY) 2026.
“There are nine bills remaining, and we want to get them all done in the next few weeks. And so, [House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla.] And those who seize it will be working overtime,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital.
“I think we can,” Cole said when asked if it could be finished by that date.
