President Trump Ends Record 43-Day Government Shutdown with Signature Bill
In a much-needed end to a prolonged period of uncertainty, President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill on Wednesday night, bringing an abrupt halt to the nation's first-ever record-breaking 43-day shutdown. The measure, which had been passed by the House and Senate earlier in the day, brings some relief to federal workers who missed paychecks during the disruption, as well as travelers stranded at airports and those dependent on food assistance programs.
The bill, a compromise reached among eight senators from both parties, funds three annual spending bills and extends government funding through January 30. While it does not extend an enhanced tax credit expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces, Republicans rejected Democrats' demands to include this priority in the measure.
"This fight is not over," said Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, as lawmakers vowed to continue pushing for the subsidy extension. "We're just getting started." For now, though, the bill represents a significant victory for Republicans, who had taken unprecedented unilateral actions – including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers – in an attempt to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.
The signing ceremony came as lawmakers debated the measure on the House floor, with some expressing frustration over the shutdown's impact. "We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don't work," said Rep. Tom Cole, Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Republicans argued that Democrats used the shutdown to prevail in a policy dispute, but Democrats countered that the measure left families without guarantee of extended tax credits to help everyday people pay for health care.
The bill includes provisions that reversed the firing of federal workers by the Trump administration and protected them against further layoffs through January. It also funds security measures for lawmakers and Supreme Court justices. However, Democrats criticized language in the bill allowing senators to sue when their electronic records are searched without notification.
Despite the agreement, the fate of the expiring enhanced tax credit remains a contentious issue. Without it, millions of Americans will face significantly higher health insurance premiums, with more than 2 million people at risk of losing coverage next year. As lawmakers head back into session in December, it's unclear whether they'll find common ground on the issue or if the fight over healthcare reform will continue unabated.
With the shutdown finally brought to an end, the nation can breathe a sigh of relief. Yet for millions of Americans, the consequences of this prolonged standoff will be felt for months to come – and the question remains: what's next?
In a much-needed end to a prolonged period of uncertainty, President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill on Wednesday night, bringing an abrupt halt to the nation's first-ever record-breaking 43-day shutdown. The measure, which had been passed by the House and Senate earlier in the day, brings some relief to federal workers who missed paychecks during the disruption, as well as travelers stranded at airports and those dependent on food assistance programs.
The bill, a compromise reached among eight senators from both parties, funds three annual spending bills and extends government funding through January 30. While it does not extend an enhanced tax credit expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces, Republicans rejected Democrats' demands to include this priority in the measure.
"This fight is not over," said Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, as lawmakers vowed to continue pushing for the subsidy extension. "We're just getting started." For now, though, the bill represents a significant victory for Republicans, who had taken unprecedented unilateral actions – including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers – in an attempt to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.
The signing ceremony came as lawmakers debated the measure on the House floor, with some expressing frustration over the shutdown's impact. "We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don't work," said Rep. Tom Cole, Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Republicans argued that Democrats used the shutdown to prevail in a policy dispute, but Democrats countered that the measure left families without guarantee of extended tax credits to help everyday people pay for health care.
The bill includes provisions that reversed the firing of federal workers by the Trump administration and protected them against further layoffs through January. It also funds security measures for lawmakers and Supreme Court justices. However, Democrats criticized language in the bill allowing senators to sue when their electronic records are searched without notification.
Despite the agreement, the fate of the expiring enhanced tax credit remains a contentious issue. Without it, millions of Americans will face significantly higher health insurance premiums, with more than 2 million people at risk of losing coverage next year. As lawmakers head back into session in December, it's unclear whether they'll find common ground on the issue or if the fight over healthcare reform will continue unabated.
With the shutdown finally brought to an end, the nation can breathe a sigh of relief. Yet for millions of Americans, the consequences of this prolonged standoff will be felt for months to come – and the question remains: what's next?
so like, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this record-breaking 43-day gov shutdown 
. Can we really say it was worth it in the end? I mean, sure, there are some wins for Reps on this bill 
, but those tax credit concessions are basically just gonna raise prices for people's healthcare premiums 
. Not cool, right? And what about that clause allowing senators to sue over their records being searched without notice? 
Sounds like a total privacy invasion.
. Like, who doesn't know how gov shutdowns work by now? And what's the deal with Democrats saying this fight isn't over? Are they just gonna keep pushing for those tax credits until it happens? I'm not sure if that's a winning strategy 
Sources, pls!
... 43 days is like, forever 
... i feel bad for all those ppl who missed paychecks and had to deal with food assistance probs 
... and can u believe they were gonna let ppl go without their health insurance? 
that's not cool at all... i hope democrats push back hard on this one 
... but yeah, congrats to repubs for getting some stuff done 
... now what's next? is the healthcare fight really over? 
. 43 days is a huge amount of time, especially when it comes to people who lost paychecks or had their benefits disrupted. It's not ideal that the bill didn't include the extended tax credit, but I think it's good that lawmakers were able to find some common ground.
. Still, I guess it's better than nothing... 
, it was super stressful for everyone involved. I feel bad that all those federal workers didn't get paid on time 
. Millions of Americans are gonna face huge health insurance premium hikes next year, that's not cool 
.
. there's still so much to do in this country, from healthcare reform to climate change 
. we need to keep pushing for progress and not get bogged down by politics 
.
. And what's with the lack of progress on the enhanced tax credit? It feels like they're just kicking the can down the road 
. I'm all for compromise and finding common ground, but sometimes you gotta make some tough decisions 
.
.
Anyway, now that it's over, let's hope we can focus on more important stuff than just who was right and wrong... how about healthcare for all? 
and don't even get me started on the travelers at airports... that must've been super stressful 
So I'm reading about the government shutdown and I gotta say, 43 days is crazy 
It's all pretty frustrating, you know? 
I'm so relieved that the government shutdown is over! 
️. Thanks to President Trump signing this bill, we can start looking forward to a more stable future 
. And I know it's not a perfect deal for everyone, but let's be real, sometimes you gotta take what you can get 
. The thing that really gets me is the fact that some people are already saying 'this fight is not over' 
. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if anyone actually gets anything done next time around 
.
. Like, can't we just agree on something already?! 
I just wish they'd focus on making things better for everyone instead of fighting over who gets what 
.
. Can't we just work together for once?! 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around that 43-day shutdown... it feels like an eternity 
It's time for some bipartisan love 
. And what about all the people who are still struggling with health insurance premiums? We need to think about them too 
, but now we gotta wait & see what happens with that tax credit 
I'm all for compromise, but this is just crazy