President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bipartisan funding bill that officially ended the 43-day U.S. government shutdown, the longest in the nation’s history, restoring pay for hundreds of thousands of federal employees and reviving critical public services.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved the measure 222–209 earlier in the day, following Senate passage earlier this week. Trump’s signature allows federal agencies to reopen as soon as Thursday, though it remains unclear how quickly full operations will resume. “We can never let this happen again,” Trump said during a late-night signing ceremony in the Oval Office, where he criticized Democrats for prolonging the standoff. “This is no way to run a country.”
The funding package extends federal spending through January 30, temporarily halting a budget impasse that had disrupted food assistance, air travel, and economic reporting. The shutdown had idled hundreds of thousands of government employees, halted statistical data releases, and caused mounting economic losses.
Economists estimate the six-week shutdown reduced U.S. gross domestic product by more than a tenth of a percentage point each week, though most of that lost output is expected to be recovered in coming months. The interruption also delayed key reports such as jobs data and the Consumer Price Index, which the White House said may never be fully released for October.
The deal comes just two weeks before the busy Thanksgiving travel period, offering relief to air traffic controllers and travelers after weeks of flight delays and staffing shortages. It also restores food aid to millions of families ahead of the holiday season, easing financial strain as consumer spending ramps up for Christmas.
The shutdown’s end did little to resolve broader political disputes. Democrats, who recently celebrated several election wins, had hoped to secure an extension of expiring federal health insurance subsidies. The new bill does not include those measures, though a Senate vote is expected in December.
Speaker Mike Johnson, however, made no commitment to advance similar legislation in the House.
Outgoing Representative Mikie Sherrill (D–N.J.), who was elected governor last week, used her final floor speech to urge colleagues not to yield to the Trump administration.
“Do not let this body become a ceremonial red stamp from an administration that takes food away from children and rips away healthcare,” Sherrill said. “To the country: Stand strong. Don’t give up the ship.”
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found Americans split on who was responsible: 50% blamed Republicans for the shutdown, while 47% pointed to Democrats.
The House returned from a nearly two-month recess to cast the decisive vote, immediately reigniting other contentious issues. Among them is a push to declassify files related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein — a move Democrats say is long overdue, and that Johnson and Trump have resisted.
Africa Digital News, New York
