Trump ends historic U.S. shutdown with new spending bill

Earlier, Congress approved the spending bill 222–209, which the U.S. Senate passed on November 10. With Trump’s signature, federal operations will restart, bringing hundreds of thousands of workers back to paid work.

“For the past 43 days, Democrats in Congress shut down the government of the United States in an attempt to extort American taxpayers for hundreds of billions of dollars for illegal aliens… Today, we’re sending a clear message that we will NEVER give in to extortion,”- Trump said, calling the government reopening a victory against Democrats. 

The new law combines a short-term funding extension with full-year appropriations for several federal departments. These include military construction, veterans affairs, the legislative branch, and the Department of Agriculture.

It keeps most agencies financed at existing levels through January 30 and authorizes extra money for Capitol security, including about $203.5 million for the protection of members of Congress and $852 million for the U.S. Capitol Police.

The shutdown began on October 1, after lawmakers failed to renew government funding. At the center of the standoff were ACA marketplace subsidies – federal discounts that make health insurance more affordable. The cuts made earlier in the year sparked sharp disagreement in Congress. With Republicans holding majorities and Democrats using the Senate filibuster, funding bills stalled for weeks. 

Over the weekend, Senate Republicans and eight Democrats reached a compromise. It dropped the subsidy extension but reversed some of the Trump administration’s federal layoffs. Around 700,000 federal employees were furloughed, while hundreds of thousands more – including active-duty military personnel, law enforcement officers, and airport security staff – worked without pay.

The U.S. government borrowed over $619 billion during the 43-day shutdown – about $14.4 billion per day.

The White House cautioned that October jobs and inflation data are “likely never” to be released, meaning financial markets may continue trading without meaningful U.S. economic data.