Trump signs stopgap spending bill to end record 42-day shutdown News
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Trump signs stopgap spending bill to end record 42-day shutdown

President Donald Trump signed a sweeping spending measure Wednesday, ending the longest government shutdown in US history and funding federal operations through January 2026.

The House passed the bill 222-209, with six Democrats joining Republicans to secure passage despite the GOP’s narrow majority. Two Republicans voted against the measure.

Republicans blamed Senate Democrats for the impasse, saying they rejected similar clean funding extensions 15 times and held the government “hostage” over policy demands. Democrats countered that they refused to fund the government without Republican agreement to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire Dec. 31, arguing that GOP unwillingness to negotiate on health care access forced the standoff. Trump vociferously blamed Democrats at the signing ceremony.

The legislation extends fiscal year 2025 funding levels for most agencies while providing full-year appropriations for agriculture, veterans affairs, and the legislative branch. It reverses workforce reductions imposed during the shutdown and provides back pay to affected federal employees.

The shutdown affected 42 million Americans relying on food assistance and forced air traffic controllers and TSA employees to work without pay, prompting the FAA to scale back flights nationwide.

Notably absent from the bill: an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expiring Dec. 31—the core Democratic demand that triggered the shutdown.

Both parties now face a January deadline to negotiate longer-term funding or confront another potential shutdown.

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