WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed the government funding bill Wednesday evening, ending record 43-day outage it has caused financial stress for federal workers, who have gone without pay, been stranded at airports and created long lines at some food banks.
The shutdown has deepened partisan divisions in Washington as Trump has taken unprecedented unilateral actions, including canceling projects and attempting to fire federal workers, to pressure Democrats to give in to his demands.
The Republican president blamed Democrats for the situation and suggested voters should not reward the party during next year's midterm elections.
“So I just want to say to the American people: You must not forget this,” Trump said. “When we get to midterms and other things, don't forget what they did to our country.”
The signing ceremony took place just hours after the House passed the measure by a party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate already passed the measure on Monday.
Democrats wanted to extend the expansion tax credit which expires at the end of the year, reducing the cost of health insurance obtained through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to agree to a short-term spending bill that did not include this priority. But Republicans said it was a separate political battle to be fought another time.
“We told you 43 days ago, from bitter experience, that government shutdowns don't work,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “They never achieve the goal you announce. And guess what? You have not yet achieved this goal and do not intend to.”
Frustration and pressure caused by the shutdown of the economy were reflected as lawmakers debated spending measures in the House of Representatives.
Republicans said Democrats were seeking to use the pain caused by the shutdown to win the political dispute.
“They knew it would hurt and they did it anyway,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
Democrats said Republicans rushed to pass tax cuts earlier this year that they said would mainly benefit the wealthy. But the bill introduced in the House on Wednesday “leaves families out in the cold with zero guarantee that there will ever be a vote on extending tax breaks to help everyday people pay for their health care,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will not refuse to extend the subsidies even if the vote goes against them.
“This fight is not over yet,” Jeffries said. “We're just getting started.”
The House of Representatives has not held a legislative session since September 19, when it took a short-term measure to keep the government open when the new budget year begins in October. After that vote, Johnson sent lawmakers home and blamed the action on the Senate, saying House Republicans had done their job.
Legislation is the result of a deal reached eight senators out of action with Democrats after concluding that Republicans would not use government funding for a bill to extend health care tax cuts.
The compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of state funding through Jan. 30. Republicans have vowed to hold a vote by mid-December to extend health care subsidies, but there is no guarantee of success.
The bill proposes the abolition dismissal of federal employees by the Trump administration since the start of quarantine. It also protects federal workers from further layoffs through January and ensures they will be paid when the shutdown ends. The Department of Agriculture's bill means that people who rely on key food assistance programs will see those benefits funded without threat of interruption until the end of the budget year.
The package includes $203.5 million to enhance security for lawmakers and an additional $28 million for security for Supreme Court justices.
Democrats also condemned language in the bill that gives senators the ability to sue when a federal agency or employee views their electronic records without notifying them, allowing for up to $500,000 in potential damages per violation.
The language appears to be intended to help Republican senators seek damages if their phone records are leaked. analyzed by the FBI as part of an investigation into Trump's attempts to cancel his defeat in the 2020 elections. The provisions have also drawn criticism from Republicans. Johnson said he was “very angry about this.”
“It was a last-minute change and I didn't appreciate it, and neither did most of the House,” Johnson said, vowing to hold a vote on the issue as early as next week.
The biggest point of contention, however, has been the fate of the expiring expanded tax credit that makes health insurance more affordable through the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces.
“It's subsidy on top of subsidy. Our friends added it during COVID,” Cole said. “COVID is over. They set a date for the subsidies to end. They chose the date.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the expanded tax credit was designed to give more people access to health care and no Republican voted for it.
“All they've done is try to take away our access to health care. The country is catching up with them,” Pelosi said.
Without expanded tax breaks, millions of Americans' insurance premiums would more than double on average. The Congressional Budget Office projects that more than 2 million people will lose health insurance next year.
It is unclear whether the two sides will find any common ground on health care before the December Senate vote. Johnson said he would not raise the issue in his chamber.
Some Republicans have said they are willing to extend Tax benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic as insurance premiums for millions of people will rise sharply, but they also want new restrictions on who can receive subsidies. Some argue that plan taxes should go through individuals rather than directly to insurance companies.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Monday she supports extending the tax breaks with changes such as new income limits. Some Democrats have indicated they might be open to the idea.
House Democrats have expressed great skepticism that the Senate effort will lead to a breakthrough.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Republicans have wanted to repeal health care reform for the last 15 years. “That’s where they’re trying to get,” she said.
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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
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Follow AP's coverage of the federal government shutdown at https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown.
