Trump Signs Funding Bill to End 43-Day Shutdown, Slams Democrats for ‘Pointless Stunt’
President Donald Trump officially ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history on Wednesday by signing a funding bill just hours after the House of Representatives passed it. The bill restores pay to federal workers, reopens key services, and keeps the government funded into next year — but not without significant political fallout.
“It’s an honor now to sign this incredible bill and get our country working again,” Trump said from the Oval Office, surrounded by House GOP leaders, union representatives, and business leaders.
Trump torched Democrats for what he called a “pathetic political stunt” that cost the country an estimated $1.5 trillion in economic output, blaming them for using American livelihoods as leverage in a failed bid to secure an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies. “This shutdown was a little excursion the Democrats took, and it was purely for political reasons,” Trump said. “Extremists tried to extort the American taxpayer — they failed.”
House Republicans Declare Victory
The House voted 222–209 to approve the bipartisan funding bill, which originated in the Senate. It reopens the federal government, restarts paychecks for hundreds of thousands of workers and air traffic controllers, and restores programs like food assistance and veterans’ services. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called it a hard-won victory.
“The Democrat shutdown is finally over thanks to House and Senate Republicans, who stood together to get the job done,” Johnson said. “This outcome was totally foreseeable — and utterly pointless. It’s something that is very difficult to forgive.”
Johnson also slammed Senate Democrats for holding the government hostage over their demand for Obamacare subsidies, calling the fight “a stunt that backfired.”
Democrats in Disarray
The shutdown fractured the Democratic Party, as eight Democratic senators ultimately sided with Republicans to end the stalemate. That decision drew backlash from progressives and left-wing leaders like California Governor Gavin Newsom, who blasted the vote as “a betrayal” and “capitulation.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) vowed to continue the battle over Obamacare tax credits. “There are only two ways that this fight will end,” he said. “Either Republicans agree to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits this year, or the American people will end the speakership of Donald J. Trump next year.”
Despite Democratic warnings, the current bill only includes a non-binding commitment from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to bring the tax credit extension up for a vote by year’s end. Speaker Johnson has made no such promise.
Shutdown’s Real-World Impact
The 43-day shutdown had serious consequences. Over 800,000 federal employees and congressional staffers missed paychecks, air traffic delays soared, and food assistance programs like SNAP were on the brink of running out of funds. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the holiday travel season was at risk of collapse if the shutdown continued — prompting mounting pressure even from labor unions that traditionally back Democrats.
On Monday, Johnson gave lawmakers 36 hours to reconvene and end the shutdown before air traffic reached “a critical breaking point.”
“Shutting down the government never produces anything,” Johnson said. “It never has.”
Party-Line Fractures in Final Vote
Six House Democrats — Reps. Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, Adam Gray, Jared Golden, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and Tom Suozzi — voted with Republicans to pass the bill. Two Republicans opposed it: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.).
Steube objected to a provision allowing Republican senators surveilled by former special counsel Jack Smith to sue the Justice Department using taxpayer funds. “The House should not have been forced to eat this garbage to end the Schumer Shutdown,” Steube wrote on X.
In the Senate, the final vote included support from independents like Angus King (I-Maine), who bluntly admitted: “Standing up to Trump didn’t work.”
Shutdown Ends, But Obamacare Fight Rages On
Though the government is now funded through Jan. 30, with certain departments funded through the end of fiscal year 2026, the battle over Obamacare tax credits remains unresolved. The enhanced subsidies — expanded during the pandemic — are scheduled to expire in 2025, and Democrats are already warning of skyrocketing premiums unless Republicans agree to extend them.
Jeffries said House Democrats will introduce an amendment to extend the subsidies for another three years — but whether it will gain any traction with House Republicans remains to be seen.
Trump Calls for Filibuster Reform
In the wake of the shutdown fight, Trump renewed his call for Senate Republicans to “terminate” the filibuster. “This never would have happened if we had real majority rule in the Senate,” Trump said, urging GOP leadership to “take action now.”
Trump also proposed redirecting “the massive amount of Obamacare funding” directly to Americans so they can “buy their own health care.”
With government operations restored, Trump has signaled that he is ready to pivot toward his 2026 legislative priorities — and he’s warning Democrats that their “pointless games” are wearing thin with voters.
“This was a lesson for Washington,” Trump said. “You can’t hijack the government for your own political purposes. The American people are smarter than that.”