President Trump signs House funding bill to end shutdown
President Donald Trump signed the House-passed bill, ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
WASHINGTON – The federal government has reopened after a record 43-day shutdown, but the effects of the longest shutdown in U.S. history could linger.
President Donald Trump signed the bill funding the government through Jan. 30 late Wednesday night, shortly after the bill passed the House by a vote of 222-209.
Closed kindergartens and food benefit programs will reopen. The same goes for federal institutions, national parks, and other landmarks. Federal employees who were furloughed will also return to work. Government data important to understanding the American economy will begin to circulate again.
But even with the president’s signature, flight delays and cancellations are expected to continue this week, federal workers still need slush funds and millions of Americans are waiting on food stamps that were suspended during the shutdown.
Furloughed federal employees directed to return to work
The Office of Management and Budget quickly issued guidance after the shutdown ended directing federal agencies to open and furlough employees to return starting Nov. 13.
OMB Director Russell Vought sent a letter to agency leaders on November 12, stating that “employees furloughed due to budget shortfalls should be directed to return to work on November 13.”
An estimated 750,000 workers were furloughed during the shutdown.
-Zack Anderson
At 10:25 p.m. ET Wednesday night, President Trump criticized Democrats for signing the bill and accused “extremists of other parties” of provoking the shutdown for political reasons.
“As we get closer to the midterm elections and everything else, don’t forget what they did to our country,” Trump said from the Oval Office.
Trump was flanked by Speaker Mike Johnson, other House Republicans, and representatives from the airline industry and other businesses as he signed the bill.
“This country has never been in better shape,” President Trump said. “We got through this short-term disaster with Democrats because they thought it was a good thing politically. Now we’re honored to sign this great bill and get our country working again.”
All but two House Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while only six Democrats voted in favor of it. The vote came after the Senate on Monday night approved a deal brokered by eight Senate Democrats who caved in to policy demands on health care and joined Republicans to end the government shutdown.
Senate Democrats have been pushing for weeks to extend expiring subsidies in the Affordable Care Act as part of a closure deal. Instead, the bill only guarantees a December Senate vote on health care subsidies.
President Trump thanked eight Senate Democrats, saying they “finally voted in their right mind to end this madness.”
Prime Minister Johnson won’t vote on Obamacare subsidy extension
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not commit to bringing the health subsidy extension to the floor after a closed vote.
The upcoming vote on the subsidies was at the heart of a deal eight Senate Democrats reached with their fellow Republicans to reopen the government.
Johnson was not among them.
The Republican leader said at a news conference after the vote that he is willing to work with anyone in Congress who wants to lower health care costs. But he said the Affordable Care Act doesn’t allow for that.
“Republicans are going to demand a lot of reforms before that can happen,” he said.
Although the shutdown is over, airlines and aviation experts have warned travelers to prepare for further disruptions throughout the week.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy last week ordered the reduction of flights to 40 major airports, citing staffing issues with Transportation Security Administration agents and air traffic controllers. The percentage of flights that need to be cut is expected to rise to 8% on Thursday and 10% on Friday.
The order remains unchanged after shutdown. But some airlines told Reuters they believed the Federal Aviation Administration would reduce the planned 8% reduction in flights to 6% on Thursday.
Before the order is lifted, the FAA must determine that enough air traffic controllers are returning to alleviate staffing issues.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments to most states should continue within 24 hours of government reopening.
President Trump suspended all SNAP payments during the government shutdown, leading to a legal battle with Democratic-led states that reached the Supreme Court.
At least 16 states have already announced full benefits over the weekend, according to research from the Center for Food Research and Action. Another 13 companies issued or began issuing partial or blended payments.
Jessica Garon, a spokeswoman for the American Public Welfare Association, told The Associated Press that most states will be able to issue full benefits within three days of being given the green light.
