US President Donald Trump has signed a federal spending bill, officially ending the longest government shutdown in American history.
The legislation, passed by the House of Representatives in a 222–209 vote and narrowly approved by the Senate two days earlier, restores funding to federal agencies after 43 days of closure. Millions of government employees and citizens affected by halted services will now see relief.
Speaking after signing the bill on Wednesday night, Trump called the agreement a political victory, accusing Democrats of unnecessarily prolonging the shutdown. “They didn’t want to do it the easy way. They had to do it the hard way, and they look very bad,” he said.
The temporary funding measure maintains government operations only through 30 January, setting a new deadline for lawmakers to negotiate a long-term budget solution.
As part of the deal, Senate leaders agreed to hold an early December vote on Obamacare subsidies, a key priority for Democrats during the shutdown standoff.
The bill also provides full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, military construction projects, and several legislative branch offices, ensuring continuity of operations.
Federal workers affected by the shutdown will receive retroactive pay, while the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) receives funding to help about one in eight Americans access food.
The shutdown, which began in October, forced the suspension of many government services, furloughing or leaving 1.4 million federal employees to work without pay. It also disrupted food assistance programmes and caused widespread delays in domestic air travel.
With federal operations now resumed, attention has turned to whether Congress and the White House can reach a longer-term funding agreement before the end-of-January deadline.
