President Donald Trump signed a spending bill aimed at reopening the government and ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
He signed the short-term budget bill into law just hours after the House voted 222-209 to approve it Wednesday night, and two days after the Senate narrowly approved the same package.
In the Oval Office, Trump said the government would now “resume normal operations” after “people have suffered so much” as a result of the 43-day shutdown.
Many government services have been suspended since October, and about 1.4 million federal workers have been on unpaid leave or working without pay. Food aid has also been left in limbo, and air travel has been suspended across the country.
Government services are expected to reopen in the coming days, and air travel disruptions are likely to ease ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reduced air travel due to staff shortages due to the shutdown.
That had a direct impact on members of Congress trying to get to the nation's capital Wednesday for a House vote.
Derrick Van Orden, a Republican from Wisconsin, rode his motorcycle nearly 1,000 miles (1,609 km) across the country to cast his vote in the House of Representatives before it was sent to the president's desk.
The bill provides funding only to keep the government open until Jan. 30, when lawmakers will again have to find a way to fund the government.
Before he signed the legislation, Trump repeatedly blamed the Democratic Party for shutting down the Democratic Party. “They did it purely for political reasons,” he said.
“When we get to the midterm elections and other events, don't forget what they did to our country,” he added.
Democrats in the Senate were able to force the adjournment despite being in the minority in the chamber because Republicans were still seven votes short of the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the funding bill.
They initially refused to support the bill, demanding that Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Republicans argued that health care discussions could begin once the government reopens.
But on Sunday a group of eight Senate Democrats left the party and helped pass the spending package. They voted for this in exchange for a promise to vote on these health care subsidies in December.
It sparked fury within the Democratic Party and public criticism from figures such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the House minority leader, said the package “does nothing meaningful to address America's health care crisis.”
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine was among the group of Democrats who voted for the compromise. He responded to that criticism and said the federal employees he represents “said thank you” for agreeing to the deal.
Hours before the House voted to reopen the government, Democrats in Congress watched as their new lawmaker was sworn into office.
The addition did not provide much leverage over whether health care subsidies would be included in the government funding bill, but Democrats welcomed Adelita Grijalva into the fold with applause on the House floor.
Arizona's Democratic representative was elected on September 23, but the House has not been in session since September 19, delaying her swearing-in. She takes over the seat once held by her father, Raul Grijalva, who died earlier this year.
Democrats immediately called on their newest member to support a petition to force a vote on legislation requiring the release of files related to the late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The petition would have to be considered for seven legislative days before it could be brought up for consideration, and then House leadership would have to schedule a vote within two legislative days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson surprised many on Wednesday and said he would schedule a vote for next week.
What is included in the spending agreement?
The agreement agreed over the weekend extends federal government funding until Jan. 30.
It also includes annual funding for the Department of Agriculture, as well as military construction and legislative funding.
The bill also includes guarantees that all federal employees will be paid for their time during the shutdown, as well as funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to one in eight Americans through next September.
The package includes an agreement for a December vote to extend health care subsidies on which Democrats have offered concessions.
Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's Weekly. US policy is not promoted newsletter. Readers in the UK can register here. Those outside the UK can register here.
