President Donald Trump signed legislation reopening the federal government, ending the 43-day shutdown—the longest in U.S. history. The House approved the measure Wednesday night, 222–209, after six Democrats joined Republicans to pass the package. The Democrats who crossed party lines were Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (North Carolina), Adam Gray (California), Jared Golden (Maine), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington) and Tom Suozzi (New York). Two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie (Kentucky) and Greg Steube (Florida), voted against the bill.
Speaking in the Oval Office after signing, Trump blamed Democrats for the impasse, saying, “This was an easy extension but they didn’t want to do it the easy way.”
The agreement extends most government funding at last year’s levels through the end of January and provides funding for some agencies into the following September. It restores Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments, a program serving nearly one in eight Americans that had been caught up in a court dispute tied to the shutdown. The bill reverses furlough-related layoffs, guarantees back pay for federal employees and includes measures intended to prevent further immediate cuts.
The package does not settle the main policy dispute that triggered the shutdown: extensions of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies set to expire at year’s end. As part of a deal with a bipartisan group of senators, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) agreed to schedule a mid-December vote on legislation drafted by Democrats to extend those subsidies. Many Senate Democrats remain skeptical of that pledge. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who voted against reopening the government, said a “handshake deal” without binding guarantees to lower costs was insufficient. Even if the Senate holds the pledged vote and approves an extension, any bill would still need to pass the House, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not committed to bringing such a measure to the floor.
Why the shutdown didn’t achieve its goals
Historically, government shutdowns rarely force large policy concessions, and the recent standoff reinforced that pattern. Senate Democrats, under pressure from progressive activists, refused to fund the government before Oct. 1 unless Republicans agreed to extend ACA marketplace subsidies. That tactic followed earlier tensions in March, when some Democrats voted with Republicans to avoid a previous shutdown, prompting activists to demand firmer resistance.
Democrats hoped that holding the line—given the possible spike in premiums without subsidies—would push Republicans to negotiate. That did not occur. Republicans continued to press regular funding votes, and the deadlock endured.
The shutdown produced widespread hardship. About 42 million people who rely on SNAP faced interruptions to food assistance. Air traffic controllers and many TSA employees worked without pay, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to order reduced flights. Millions of federal workers went without pay during the shutdown.
Lawmakers who voted to end the shutdown argued prolonging it would intensify suffering without improving the chances of winning a subsidy extension. “There was no guarantee that waiting would get us a better result, but there was a guarantee that waiting would impose suffering on more everyday people,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told NPR.
The halt in operations leaves Democrats without a firm guarantee on their central demand; instead, they accepted Thune’s promise to schedule the December vote. Rep. Jared Golden, one of the six House Democrats who voted to reopen the government, said there is still an opportunity to extend ACA premium tax credits and urged bipartisan cooperation to do so. President Trump largely allowed Senate GOP leaders, especially Thune, to direct the party’s approach rather than intervening directly in negotiations.
What comes next
Both parties now face choices that could shape their political standing heading into 2026. Senate Democrats have roughly a month to draft a subsidy-extension bill that could attract enough Republican support to pass. If they succeed, Democrats would enter 2026 with a concrete policy accomplishment to highlight. If Republicans oppose an extension, Democrats are likely to keep health care a central campaign issue.
Some Republicans have indicated willingness to consider extending subsidies if measures include reforms such as fraud safeguards and income caps. Meanwhile, the continuing resolution funds the government only for a short period, meaning Congress still must complete nine other appropriations bills before the stopgap expires.