US government shutdown ends as Trump signs funding bill
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has signed the government funding bill, bringing the longest shutdown in US history to an end, according to CNN.
Trump signed the bill just hours after it was approved by the US House of Representatives. Two days earlier, the Senate had approved the legislation.
A total of 222 members of the House, mostly Republicans along with several Democrats, voted in favor of restoring government operations, while 209 opposed it.
The approved bill is a compromise, as it provides temporary government funding through January 30, 2026.
It also establishes three annual appropriations packages:
- For military construction;
- For the needs of the legislative branch;
- For the Department of Agriculture.
The bill guarantees the reinstatement of employees who were furloughed during the shutdown, with back pay.
Consequences of the record US shutdown
This shutdown was the longest in US history, lasting 43 days.
It broke the previous record, which was also set during Trump’s tenure: at the beginning of 2019, government funding was frozen for 35 days.
This year’s shutdown began on October 1, after Democrats and Republicans failed to approve the federal budget due to differing views on healthcare benefits for Americans. Democrats insisted on continuing the benefits, while their opponents opposed them.
Economists estimate that the daily losses for the US economy during the shutdown were around 15 billion dollars.
Budget constraints affected many federal agencies, including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which was forced to place approximately 1,400 employees on unpaid leave.
