President Donald Trump signed legislation late Wednesday night to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, which lasted 43 days and affected roughly 900,000 federal employees. The House of Representatives passed the funding package on Wednesday evening in a 222-209 vote.
The shutdown began on October 1, after Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2026. Democrats tried to extend expanded Affordable Care Act tax credits scheduled to expire at the end of the year, while Republicans resisted including those provisions in the spending bill.
Then eight Senate Democrats—including Durbin, King, Hassan, Shaheen, Cortez Masto, Rosen, Fetterman, and Kaine—joined Senate Republicans (except Rand Paul) to advance a bipartisan agreement on November 9.
The funding package extends government operations at current spending levels through January 30, 2026, and provides full-year appropriations for three key agencies: the Department of Agriculture, military construction and veterans affairs, and the legislative branch. The bill also guarantees back pay for federal workers who were furloughed or worked without compensation during the shutdown, reverses layoffs initiated by the Trump administration, and prohibits additional mass layoffs until January 30.
The spending package includes $203.5 million for congressional security and $852 million for U.S. Capitol Police, as well as a provision that allows senators to sue for up to $500,000 for data seizures or subpoenas dating back to 2022.
Democrats believed a promise from Senate Majority Leader John Thune to hold a vote on extending the healthcare tax credits by December 12, though House Speaker Mike Johnson made no such commitment.
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum directing federal employees to return to work on Thursday, November 13, with agencies instructed to open “in a prompt and orderly manner”. The bill sets up another funding decision on January 30, 2026, when Congress will need to address ongoing appropriations disputes.
