Updated Nov 12, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Trump signs bill to end longest-ever government shutdown

Congress members in suits smile and clap as a beaming President Trump, wearing a navy jacket and white shirt, shows the signed bill package to re-open the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday. — President Donald Trump (C) shows the signed bill package to re-open the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump signed a bill on Wednesday night to reopen the government and officially end the 43-day shutdown after the House earlier passed a bipartisan funding package.

Why it matters: Trump's signature on the bill ends the longest-ever federal government shutdown, which left thousands of federal workers without pay and disrupted services across the country for nearly seven weeks.

The package passed 222-209. Two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Greg Steube (R-Fla.), voted with the majority of Democrats against the bill.
Six Democrats, Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Adam Gray (D-Calif.), Don Davis (D-N.C.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas.), voted in support.

The latest: Trump said before signing the bill while surrounded by smiling Republican lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) that shutting down the government is "no way to run a country.'

He added: "I hope we can all agree that the government should never be shut down again."

State of play: House Democratic leadership formally whipped against the bill since it does not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.

"The Senate-negotiated package does absolutely nothing to address the Republican health care crisis," read a whip notice from House Minority Whip Katherine Clark's (D-Mass.) office sent out earlier this week.

The details: The package funds the government through Jan. 30, reverses federal layoffs that happened after Oct. 1 and funds key agencies through the rest of the fiscal year.

After 40 days, eight Senate Democrats broke with their party in support of a bipartisan deal to reopen the government.
Their deal with Senate Republicans rests on the promise of a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies next month — but it faces an uphill climb in the Senate and is not likely to be voted on in the House.

That has left many Democrats furious, with some calling on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to step down as a result.

Between the lines: Wednesday's vote was the House's first in 54 days.

Lawmakers were on recess for the entirety of the shutdown, and hadn't been in session since passing a government funding bill in September.
The chamber is leaving town for the rest of the week, but lawmakers are expected to return next week to tackle a backlog of unfinished business.

Go deeper: The bill to reopen the government would shut down these THC products

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from President Trump and to reflect that he signed the bill to reopen the government.

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Trump signs bill to end longest-ever government shutdown

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