The longest government shutdown in American history ended with the stroke of President Donald Trump's pen in the Oval Office on Wednesday night.
Trump signed a spending package and legislation to fund the government through the end of January, ending a 43-day standoff with Democrats. The spending measure would provide missed pay for a number of government workers who reported to work during the government shutdown, including air traffic controllers and Capitol Police, while also sending hundreds of thousands of furloughed employees back to the office. (RELATED: Six Democrats Join Republicans to Finally End Schumer Shutdown After 43 Days)
“I just want to tell you that the country has never been in better shape,” the president said as he signed the continuing government reopening resolution (CR) passed by House And Senate. “We went through this short-term disaster with Democrats because they thought it would be good politically. And now I'm honored to sign this incredible bill and get our country running again.”
The record shutdown also disrupted air travel across the country, limited access to federal food aid and some health care services and cost the economy billions of dollars. Federal food assistance to millions of Americans is also in jeopardy due to funding cuts.
“The damage Democrats have caused with this reckless government shutdown cannot be forgotten,” White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said Wednesday. “This is entirely the fault of the Democratic Party.”
President Trump signs a bill that will OFFICIALLY reopen the government, ending the Democratic shutdown.
Let's get our country WORKING again. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QJqX90k9sC
— White House (@WhiteHouse) November 13, 2025
The signing ceremony followed immediately after the House of Representatives. approving funding package passed by the Senate on a vote of 222 to 209, largely along party lines. Just two House Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida, defected, while the measure earned the support of six Democrats.
Democrats are exiting the shutdown fight without meeting their main demand: an extension of an expanded tax break on Obamacare premiums. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has vowed to hold a vote on the Democratic-sponsored Affordable Care Act (ACA). subsidies bill in December as part of a bipartisan agreement to end the shutdown, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has not made a similar proposal. The expected Democratic-backed bill would also likely have a hard time passing the Senate's 60-vote threshold.
The Trump administration also agreed to rehire several thousand federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown as part of a bipartisan agreement to end the funding freeze.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also drew the ire of progressives for failing to keep his caucus in check during a crucial Senate vote Sunday night. Eight Democrats in the Senate rebelled Schumer to reopen the government, citing in part that their opposition to the minority leader's heavy-handed tactics is growing the longer the shutdown goes on.
“I cannot accept a strategy that fights politics at the expense of my neighbor’s paycheck or food for his children,” Senate Minority Party Dick Durbinthe second-ranking Democrat, the Senate said Monday. Durbin, Schumer's running mate, is not running for re-election in 2026.
Trump also during his speech renewed his call for the Senate to eliminate the filibuster. Senate Republicans have largely rejected the idea, despite Trump's pressure on senators to lift the 60-vote threshold in the upper chamber and end the lockdown themselves.
“If we eliminated the filibuster, this would never happen again,” Trump said. “And don't forget that we have another date in the not-too-distant future. We can never let this happen again and we should be able to pass great, really great legislation.”
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