Congress has approved a deal to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, with the House of Representatives voting on Wednesday to restart food assistance programs, pay hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and restore the air traffic control system.
The Republican-controlled House passed the bill by a vote of 222–209, largely backed by President Donald Trump, despite strong opposition from Democrats who were frustrated that the lengthy standoff failed to secure an extension of federal health insurance subsidies.
The Senate had already approved the measure, and the White House confirmed that Trump would sign it into law later on Wednesday, officially ending the shutdown. The deal funds the government through January 30, though it continues to add roughly $1.8 trillion annually to the nation’s $38 trillion debt.
“I feel like I just lived a Seinfeld episode — 40 days, and I still don’t know what the plotline was,” said Republican Representative David Schweikert of Arizona, comparing the chaotic standoff to the aimless humor of the 1990s sitcom. “I thought it’d be 48 hours of drama, then we’d get back to work. What happens now when rage becomes policy?”
No Promise on Healthcare
The vote took place just eight days after Democrats scored several key election victories, which they believed strengthened their chances of extending health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. While the deal ensures a Senate vote on the issue in December, House Speaker Mike Johnson has made no such commitment.
In her final speech before stepping down from Congress next week, Representative Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey — who was recently elected the state’s next governor — urged her colleagues to resist the Trump administration’s agenda. “Do not let this body become a ceremonial red stamp for an administration that takes food away from children and rips away healthcare,” she said. “To the country: Stand strong. Don’t give up the ship.”
No Clear Winner
Despite the finger-pointing, neither side appears to have emerged victorious. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found that 50% of Americans blamed Republicans for the shutdown, while 47% blamed Democrats.
Wednesday marked the House’s first session since mid-September after a long recess meant to pressure Democrats. The chamber’s return also reignited debate over whether to release unclassified records related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein — an issue both Johnson and Trump have resisted.
Johnson also swore in Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election to fill her late father Raul Grijalva’s Arizona seat. Her addition provided the final signature needed to force a House vote on releasing the Epstein files, just hours after Democrats unveiled new related documents.
The funding bill also includes a provision allowing eight Republican senators to seek damages for alleged privacy violations connected to the federal investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. It retroactively restricts the Justice Department from obtaining lawmakers’ phone data without disclosure, granting affected senators the right to sue for $500,000 in damages plus legal costs.
