Government Shutdown 2025 Update: Trump signs bill, ending record 43 day disruption

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed a funding bill Wednesday night, ending the nation’s longest government shutdown at 43 days.

The shutdown left thousands of federal workers without pay, stranded travelers at airports and sent long lines to food banks.

The shutdown deepened partisan rifts in Washington as Trump canceled projects and attempted to dismiss federal workers in order to pressure Democrats.

The president blamed Democrats for the standoff and urged voters against backing the party in the coming elections.

"So I just want to tell the American people, you should not forget this," Trump said. "When we come up to midterms and other things, don’t forget what they’ve done to our country."

READ MORE: Shutdown impacts all Americans: panel

Trump signs funding bill

What we know:

Trump signed the bill hours after the House approved the measure on a near party‑line vote of 222‑209. The Senate approved the measure earlier in the week.

Democrats pushed to extend an expiring tax credit that lowers the cost of health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. They rejected a short‑term spending bill that left out the provision. But Republicans argued the issue should be debated separately.

"We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don’t work," Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said. "They never achieve the objective that you announce. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that objective yet, and you’re not going to."

READ MORE: Travel disruptions expected to continue after end of government shutdown

What’s in the bill to end the shutdown

Dig deeper:

The legislation stemmed from a deal brokered by eight senators who split with Democrats after concluding Republicans would not agree to tie health care tax credits to the funding bill.

The compromise funds three annual spending bills and keeps the rest of the government running through Jan. 30. Republicans pledged a mid‑December vote on extending health care subsidies, though passage is uncertain.

The bill reverses the Trump administration’s firings of federal workers during the shutdown, shields them from further layoffs through January and guarantees back pay once funding resumes.

It also ensures Agriculture Department programs, including food assistance, remain funded for the rest of the budget year.

The package provides $203.5 million to strengthen security for lawmakers and another $28 million to protect Supreme Court justices.

Democrats criticized a provision allowing senators to sue if federal agencies search their electronic records without notice, with damages of up to $500,000 per violation.

The language appeared designed to let Republican senators seek damages if the FBI reviewed their phone records during its probe of Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 election. The language drew criticism from Republicans too, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying he was "very angry about it."

"That was dropped in at the last minute, and I did not appreciate that, nor did most of the House members," Johnson said, promising a vote on the matter.

READ MORE: Trump signs bill ending historic government shutdown

Deal doesn't extend expiring health subsidies

Big picture view:

The central dispute was the fate of the expiring tax credit that lowers health insurance costs under the Affordable Care Act.

"It’s a subsidy on top of a subsidy. Our friends added it during COVID," Cole said. "COVID is over. They set a date certain that the subsidies would run out. They chose the date."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D‑Calif., said the enhanced tax credit was meant to expand access to health care and noted that no Republican supported it.

"All they have done is try to eliminate access to health care in our country. The country is catching on to them," Pelosi said.

Without the enhanced tax credit, premiums would more than double for millions of Americans. The Congressional Budget Office projects more than 2 million could lose coverage next year.

READ MORE: What federal workers going without pay can do to protect their credit score

SNAP benefits timeline remains uncertain

Timeline:

The federal government is reopening, but uncertainty remains over when 42 million SNAP recipients will receive their full November benefits.

President Donald Trump signed the funding bill on Wednesday.

One provision restarts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but does not specify when benefits will be loaded onto recipients’ debit cards.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in an email Wednesday that funds could be available within 24 hours of the government reopening for most states.

The department did not clarify where delays might occur or whether the timeline covers money reaching states or being loaded onto debit cards used by beneficiaries.

READ MORE: When will SNAP payments resume now that the government shutdown has ended?

FAA says flight cuts will stay at 6%

By the numbers:

Flight cuts at 40 major U.S. airports will hold at 6% instead of rising to 10% this week, as more air traffic controllers return to work, officials said Wednesday.

The announcement came as Congress moved to end the longest shutdown in history and President Trump signed the funding bill to reopen the government.

Flight cuts began last week as more air traffic controllers called out, citing stress and second jobs, leaving control towers short‑staffed. Air traffic controllers missed two paychecks during the shutdown.

The Transportation Department said the decision to cut flights followed Federal Aviation Administration’s safety team recommendations after a "rapid decline" in controller callouts.

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