Trump Signs Bill to End Longest US Shutdown

The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a Senate-passed package that would reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats were angered by what they saw as capitulation by party leaders.

Trump later lashed out at Democrats as he signed the bill in the Oval Office and urged Americans to remember the chaos a year later as they voted in the hotly contested US midterm elections.

“Today we are sending a clear message that we will never give in to usurpation,” Trump said, flanked by cheery Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Johnson had previously pointed the finger at the minority party in his shocking floor speech before the vote.

“They knew it would cause pain and they did it anyway,” he said. “This whole exercise was pointless. It was wrong and cruel.”

The package would fund military construction, veterans affairs, the Department of Agriculture and Congress through next fall, and the rest of the government through the end of January.

About 670,000 furloughed officers will return to work and a similar number of officers retained without compensation, including more than 60,000 air traffic controllers and airport security personnel, will receive back pay.

The agreement will also bring back to work federal employees Trump fired during the shutdown, while disrupted air travel across the country will gradually return to normal.

Trump falsely accused Democrats of costing the country $1.5 trillion. Although the full financial cost of the shutdown has not yet been determined, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it resulted in $14 billion in lost growth.

-‘I’m not stepping back’-

With Johnson and the Republicans’ majority down to two votes, there was virtually no room for error.

Democratic leadership urged members angry at what their Senate colleagues endured to vote no, and all but a handful held the line.

Although polls have shown the public mostly on the Democrats’ side throughout the contest, Republicans appear to have fared better in the outcome.

For more than five weeks, Democrats have stood firm on refusing to reopen the government unless Trump agrees to expand pandemic-era tax credits that have made health insurance affordable for millions of Americans.

Last week’s election victories in several states gave Democrats greater courage and a renewed sense of purpose.

But a group of eight moderates in the Senate broke ranks with Republicans to strike a deal with Republicans that would allow for votes in the upper chamber on health care subsidies, but no floor time in the House and no guarantee of action.

Democrats are now engaged in a painful reckoning over how their tough stance collapsed without a significant win.

Democratic leaders argue that while their health care demands have gone largely unheard, they’ve been able to shine a light on an issue they hope will help them win in the 2026 midterm elections.

“We’ve successfully raised the issue of the Republican health crisis over the last few weeks, and we’re not backing down from that,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told MSNBC.

But his Senate counterpart, Chuck Schumer, faces backlash from a fractious progressive base for failing to keep his members united, while a handful of House Democrats are calling for his head.

Outside Washington, some of the party’s strongest contenders for the 2028 presidential nomination have added their voices to the chorus of smears.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called the deal “pathetic,” while Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said it amounted to “an empty promise.” Former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg called it a “bad deal.”