President Trump has signed the long-debated spending bill into law, officially ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
The government shutdown lasted for 43 days, surpassing the previous record of 35 days, which was during Trump’s first term.
“Don’t forget this for midterms,” Trump said while signing the bill in the Oval Office, blaming Democrats for the shutdown.
According to CNN, major airlines like Delta and American thanked the House of Representatives for passing the bill to end the shutdown before the busy holiday season.
Original estimates show that the shutdown could cost around $14 billion, but according to Trump, it cost $1.5 trillion and increased the national debt to $38 trillion, a new record for the U.S. government.
The bill will fund most federal operations through Jan. 30.
ORIGINAL STORY POSTED AT 6:39 P.M.
The House of Representatives passed a vote to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, with the bill on its way to President Donald Trump.
Trump said that he will sign the spending bill into law, with his signature expected around 6:45 PST — putting an end to the 43-day shutdown.
The vote comes after eight Senate Democrats brokered a deal with Republicans to end the shutdown. The deal included restoring operations for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), barring federal agencies from firing employees until Jan. 30 and a promise by Republicans to hold a future vote on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
The House passed the spending package 222-209. Only two Republicans voted not to end the shutdown — Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Gregory Steube of Florida. Six House Democrats sided with the Republican majority — Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas; Rep. Donald Davis of North Carolina; Rep. Jared Golden of Maine; Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington; Rep. Thomas Suozzi of New York and the Central Valley’s own Rep. Adam Gray.
All Democrats who voted yes, besides Gray, sit on the Problem Solvers Caucus, which is a caucus of Democrats and Republicans that prioritize bipartisanship and finding common ground between their parties.
Representative Perez said she voted to reopen the government because she didn’t want to “hold hungry Americans hostage” who rely on SNAP.
According to the New York Times, when Speaker Mike Johnson was asked if there would be a vote to extend ACA subsidies, he said that the GOP would “demand a lot of reforms” on the ACA before a vote to extend those subsidies would happen.
After 43 days, federal employees will get paid again, and other non-essential services like national parks will reopen. As for flight delays, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has not made any statement on whether or when he would reduce flight restrictions at 40 major airports.
