Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump on Wednesday night signed a funding bill to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, concluding a 43-day standoff that disrupted federal operations and strained services across the country.
In a ceremony held in the Oval Office, the president signed the measure surrounded by Republican lawmakers, calling it an honor to reopen the government.
“We went through this short-term disaster with the Democrats because they thought it would be good politically. And it’s an honor now to sign this incredible bill and get our country working again,” President Trump said.
Earlier in the evening, the president accused Democrats of using the shutdown for leverage. “Today, we’re sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion — because that’s exactly what this was,” Trump said. “They tried to extort. The Democrats tried to extort our country.”
The president added that the bill he signed was “exactly like what we asked Democrats to send us many days ago,” and claimed the shutdown “cost the country $1.5 trillion.”
“So with my signature, the federal government will now resume normal operations, and my administration and our partners in Congress will continue our work to lower the cost of living, restore public safety, grow our economy and make America affordable again, for all Americans again,” the president said.
The House of Representatives approved the funding package Wednesday afternoon in a 222–209 vote, with the GOP’s narrow majority carrying the measure after weeks of negotiations. The Senate had passed the bill earlier in the day, sending it to the president’s desk for final approval.
“We feel very relieved tonight,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters. “The Democrat shutdown is finally over thanks to House and Senate Republicans, who stood together to get the job done.”
The bill’s signing fully reopens federal agencies and restores funding for programs that had been suspended during the shutdown, marking an end to the record 43-day halt to the federal government.