The president signed a bill to restart federal operations after it passed the House by a vote of 222-209.
The longest government shutdown in US history ended on Wednesday after more than 42 days, after the House of Representatives passed a bill negotiated by a Republican and a separate group of pro-Democrat senators.
The agreement clears the way for government operations to return to normal by January, while leaving unresolved the issue of the expiration of tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, health plans, which most Democrats had demanded be extended in any agreement to reopen the government.
After it was unveiled over the weekend, the Senate approved the agreement on Monday, and the House followed suit two days later, with a vote of 222 in favor and 209 against, with two abstentions. Donald Trump signed the bill on Wednesday night, saying, “We are sending a clear message that we will never bow to extortion, because that’s what… Democrats tried to extort from our country.”
Six Democrats voted in favor of the bill, breaking away from their party and joining Adam Gray of California, Tom Suozzi of New York, Mary Glussenkamp Perez of Washington, Don Davis of North Carolina, Henry Cuellar of Texas, and Jared Golden of Maine. Two Republicans, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Stubb of Florida, voted against it.
“Thanks to House and Senate Republicans, the Democratic shutdown is finally over,” House Republican leadership said in a statement.
“There is no longer any doubt that Democrats are responsible for millions of American families going hungry, millions of travelers stranded at airports, and our troops wondering whether they will get their next paycheck.”
In a statement on the floor shortly before the vote, Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries promised to continue pushing for an extension of the subsidy.
He said, “This fight is far from over. We’re just beginning. Either Republicans decide to extend the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits this year, or the American people will vote Republicans out of office next year and end Donald J. Trump’s presidency forever. That’s how this fight will end.”
The spending impasse was the biggest battle between congressional Democrats and Republicans since Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. It resulted in unprecedented disruptions to government services, the Trump administration ordered nationwide commercial air travel cuts, and the largest federal food assistance program was halted for the first time.
Democrats, embittered by last year’s electoral defeat, took advantage of the expiration of government funding at the end of September to clarify their stance on healthcare, which has been a key issue for the party for the past decade and a half. Obamacare tax credits were created during Joe Biden’s presidency and reduced premiums for enrollees of plans purchased under the law.
Democrats wanted these to be extended as part of any agreement to continue government funding. The party also made other demands, including curbing Trump’s use of repeals to cut funds previously authorized by Congress and reversing the Medicaid cuts approved by Republicans earlier in the year. But as the fight progressed, it became clear that expanding subsidies was the primary objective.
Republicans, who control both the House and Senate, introduced a bill to fund the government through the third week of November, which would not make any spending cuts or major policy changes. He passed the bill in the lower house with the support of only one Democrat, but the minority used the Senate filibuster to prevent its passage there.
The shutdown began on October 1, resulting in the furlough of approximately 700,000 federal employees. Thousands of others, from active-duty military personnel to law enforcement agencies and airport security investigators, remained on the job without pay.
White House Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, known for his hostility toward federal employees, took advantage of the funding lapse to order further layoffs. He also cut funding for infrastructure projects in states that voted for Kamala Harris last year.
Although Trump ordered the payment of salaries to military personnel, which many experts considered possibly illegal, other federal workers remained unpaid. Food banks began reporting increased demand due to the shutdown, and when the White House halted payments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, citing a lack of government funding, demand increased even further.
Last week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered flight cuts at US airports, saying air traffic controllers were facing unprecedented stress after working without pay for several weeks. In the days that followed, there were reports of widespread flight cancellations.
In the Senate, most Democrats agreed with the party’s strategy for weeks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune had 14 votes on the GOP funding measure, but only three members of the minority caucus supported it.
In early November, Democrats scored landslide victories in off-year elections, winning the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races by significant margins, as well as voter approval of new congressional maps in California, which will benefit the party’s candidates.
Democratic leaders said the victory vindicated their strategy in the funding battle. Trump echoed this sentiment, saying the shutdown was a “big factor” in the GOP’s poor performance. He began pressuring Republican senators to eliminate the filibuster, which would have eliminated the 60-vote threshold needed for passage in the House, where the Republican Party holds 53 seats.
Meanwhile, a small group of moderate members of the Senate Democratic Caucus was negotiating a compromise to end the shutdown. This provided government funding until January and rescinded the layoffs ordered by the Trump administration after the shutdown began.
But it did not include any additional funding for Affordable Care Act tax credits—instead, Thune agreed to allow a vote on the issue until mid-December. It’s difficult to say whether it will receive the Republican support needed to pass, and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has not said he will put the bill to a vote.
Despite the displeasure of Democrats in both the House and Senate, the Senate passed it on Monday by 60 votes: eight from the Democratic caucus, and the remainder from Republicans.
Still, the fight over ACA subsidies is unlikely to end. Plan enrollees received notices of premium increases in November due to the expiration of tax credits. One study predicted they would increase by an average of 26%, potentially reaching unaffordable levels for many.
With government funding set to expire again at the end of January, Democrats could use this opportunity to demand another subsidy increase.
“Over the past few weeks, dozens of House Republicans have been claiming they know this issue needs to be addressed,” Jeffries said in a CNN interview Tuesday.
“And now we have to see some action, or even just talk, from House Republicans, as Democrats continue to hold the field as it relates to addressing the healthcare crisis that Republicans have imposed on the American people.”
