After 43 days of shutdown, Trump ends the longest government closure in U.S. history.
Follow-up
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a spending bill, thereby concluding the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States.
Trump’s signing of the bill came just hours after the U.S. House of Representatives approved it with a margin of 13 votes, passing with 222 in favor and 209 against late Wednesday night.
The Senate had passed the bill two days earlier with a narrow margin.
In remarks from the Oval Office, Trump stated that the government can now “resume its operations normally” after citizens have “suffered greatly” due to the 43-day shutdown.
Numerous U.S. government services had been disrupted since October, and about 1.4 million federal employees were placed on unpaid leave or continued to work without pay.
Food assistance programs were also halted, leading to nationwide flight disruptions.
Government services are expected to resume in the coming days, while air travel disruptions are likely to ease before the Thanksgiving holiday.
This directly affected members of Congress trying to reach Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for the House vote.
Republican Congressman Derek Van Orden from Wisconsin, for example, had to ride nearly a thousand miles on a motorcycle to vote on the bill.
Under this legislation, the government is funded until January 30, at which point U.S. lawmakers will have to find a way to fund the government again.
Before signing the bill, President Trump returned to blaming the government shutdown on the Democratic Party, claiming, “They did this for purely political purposes… When it comes time for the midterms and other deadlines, don’t forget what they did to our country.”
Democrats’ Stance on the Shutdown
Democrats in the Senate managed to cause the government shutdown despite being the minority; Republicans needed seven votes to reach the required minimum of 60 votes to pass the funding bill.
Initially, Democrats refused to support the bill, demanding that Republicans agree to extend health insurance benefits for low-income Americans, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
Republicans contended that healthcare issues could be discussed once government services reopened.
However, last Sunday, eight Democratic senators broke ranks with their party and helped pass the spending package, voting in favor in exchange for a promise of a vote on those health benefits in December.
This caused a stir within the Democratic Party and led to public criticism from figures like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer remarked that the package “fails to deliver anything substantial to fix America’s healthcare crisis.”
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia was among the eight Democrats who voted for the compromise, defending the decision by saying that the federal employees he represents thanked him for agreeing to the deal.
Just hours before the House vote to reopen the government, Democrats in Congress witnessed their newest member being sworn in.
Although the new addition did not grant the Democratic Party enough leverage to include healthcare benefits in the government funding law, Democrats welcomed their new member, Ardletta Grijalva, with applause in the chamber.
Grijalva, a Democratic representative from Arizona, was elected on September 23, but the House had not been in session since September 19, delaying her swearing-in. Grijalva fills the seat previously held by her father, Raúl Grijalva, who passed away earlier this year.
Democrats quickly tasked their new member with supporting a petition to force the House to vote on legislation requesting the release of files related to deceased convicted child molester Jeffrey Epstein.
The petition must remain pending for seven legislative days before being allowed for discussion in the chamber, after which the House leadership must schedule a vote within two legislative days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson surprised many on Wednesday when he stated he would set a date for the vote next week.
What Does the Spending Agreement Include?
The agreement negotiated over the weekend extends federal government funding through January 30.
It also includes full funding for the Department of Agriculture for a year, as well as funding for military construction projects and legislative agencies.
It ensures that all federal employees will be paid for the shutdown period and includes funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food aid to one in eight Americans, until next September.
The package includes an agreement to hold a vote in December regarding an extension of healthcare benefits that Democrats are holding out for concessions on.
