Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed a long-awaited federal spending bill, officially ending the 43-day government shutdown, the longest in American history.
The move came less than two hours after the House of Representatives approved the measure, reopening agencies that had been crippled since October 1 and allowing hundreds of thousands of federal employees to return to work.
The new bill, which funds the government until January 30, passed the Republican-controlled House by a 222–209 vote, following Senate approval earlier in the week. Trump’s signature marked the resumption of normal government operations and a sigh of relief for millions of Americans affected by the shutdown.
“Federal operations will now resume,” Trump said during a late-night signing ceremony at the White House, vowing that such a crisis should never happen again.
The shutdown had forced around 670,000 civil servants to stay home without pay, while another similar number continued working without compensation. With the bill’s approval, all will receive back pay, though officials remain uncertain how quickly full government functions will return to normal.
President Trump signs bill to OFFICIALLY reopen the government, ending the Democrat Shutdown.
Let’s get our country WORKING again. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QJqX90k9sC
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 13, 2025
The end of the standoff is a welcome boost for sectors hit hardest by the funding lapse, especially air travel and food assistance programs. Aviation experts hope that air-traffic control systems and flight operations will stabilize before the busy Thanksgiving travel period begins in two weeks. The restoration of food aid to millions of low-income families is also expected to ease pressure on household budgets as the holiday season nears.
Despite the breakthrough, the agreement leaves key issues unresolved, including health insurance subsidies for 24 million Americans under the Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration has indicated it will not renew these subsidies when they expire at year’s end, and a Senate vote on the matter is expected in December.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were quick to assign blame for the 43-day impasse. In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson accused Democrats of political brinkmanship, calling the closure “cruel and unnecessary.”
SIGNED & DELIVERED: President Trump signs bill reopening the government. 🇺🇸
For 43 days, Democrats shut down the government, trying to extort billions from taxpayers for illegal aliens. Today’s message: Republicans won’t give in. pic.twitter.com/qesstMpMkR
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 13, 2025
Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill, who was recently elected as New Jersey’s next governor, criticized the administration’s priorities in her farewell speech, urging colleagues not to simply endorse policies that hurt working families.
Economists estimate the shutdown shaved more than a tenth of a percentage point off the US gross domestic product every six weeks, though most of that lost output is expected to be recovered in the coming months. Meanwhile, the federal debt continues to climb, with the new spending bill adding roughly $1.8 trillion annually to the nation’s $38 trillion debt load.
