After 43 days, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history has officially ended. President Donald Trump signed a funding bill late Wednesday night, just hours after the House passed it 222–209. The bill restores government operations through January and provides full-year funding for select agencies, including SNAP, which had been disrupted during the shutdown.
Despite Republicans’ narrow House majority, six Democrats crossed party lines to support the measure: Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Adam Gray of California, Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Tom Suozzi of New York. Two Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida—voted against it.
The bill includes backpay for federal workers and reverses layoffs imposed during the shutdown. However, it does not address Democrats’ key demand: extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year’s end. Instead, Senate Majority Leader John Thune pledged to hold a vote on that issue in December—a promise many Democrats view with skepticism.
The shutdown, triggered by a standoff over healthcare subsidies, left millions without food aid, grounded flights, and forced federal employees to work without pay. In the end, Democrats did not gain any policy concessions, and the government reopened under deal that may or may not deliver on healthcare reform. With funding set to lapse again in January, Congress faces another deadline for full-year funding bills.