After 43 days, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history has ended. The House of Representatives approved a spending bill that President Donald Trump later signed into law, reopening the federal government. The agreement funds most federal operations only through January 30, though the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Department of Agriculture will receive funds past this date. Even after solving the impasse, health care remains a key point of tension between Democrats and Republicans.
As the start of the fiscal year approached on October 1, lawmakers faced growing pressure to approve a funding plan. On September 19, House Republicans passed a short-term measure to extend existing funding until November 21. But because Senate approval required Democratic support, the standoff that ultimately triggered the record-breaking shutdown began.
With Republicans holding control of the House, Democrats centered their argument around health care issues. They claimed that health insurance tax credits – crucial for millions of Americans purchasing plans on Affordable Care Act exchanges – were set to expire soon and needed renewal. Meanwhile, Republicans urged Democrats to agree to a temporary funding extension.
As funding deadlock persisted, the effects of the shutdown rippled across the country. Thousands of federal employees were furloughed without pay, while air traffic controllers were required to work unpaid. Flight cancellations and delays increased as a result of these workers calling in sick. SNAP recipients – over 42 million Americans – received only partial food assistance payments.
In early November, senators began discussing a bipartisan compromise to reopen the government. Democrats sought a December vote on extending the expiring health insurance tax credits, framing it as a condition for ending the shutdown. On November 7, Senate Democrats formally proposed a one-year extension of the credits, but Republicans struck down the offer. According to CBS News, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that “negotiations on health care could only come after the government reopened.”
A breakthrough came on November 10, when the Senate passed a new funding bill in a 60-40 vote, with seven Democrats and one Independent joining Republicans. The deal funds the federal government through January 30, extends SNAP funding until September of 2026, and provides full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, military construction, and legislative agencies. The bill also “guarantees that all federal workers will receive back-pay, and reverses the shutdown-related layoffs of thousands of federal workers,” according to the BBC.
The House passed the bill Wednesday night in a 222-209 vote, and President Donald Trump signed it shortly afterward. Following the signing, Trump stated in the Oval Office, “We’re sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion,” CBS News reported.
