Government Shutdown Ends As Trump Declares ‘Great Victory’ With Spending Package
President Donald Trump officially ended the brief government shutdown Tuesday night, signing a series of funding bills in the Oval Office alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson and a group of Republican lawmakers. The legislation, passed by narrow bipartisan margins, will keep most of the government funded through September, with the Department of Homeland Security operating under a short-term continuing resolution until February 13.
“This bill is a great victory for the American people,” Trump said during the signing ceremony. “Instead of a bloated and wasteful omnibus monstrosity full of special interest handouts, we’ve succeeded in passing a fiscally responsible package that actually cuts wasteful federal spending, while supporting critical programs for the safety, security, and prosperity of the American people.”
The shutdown began over the weekend, largely driven by disagreements over immigration enforcement and efforts by some House Republicans to attach the SAVE Act to the spending package. The SAVE Act, which requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, had already passed the House, but President Trump urged lawmakers not to tie it to the funding bills, warning that “there can be NO CHANGES at this time.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had made clear the measure would be a dealbreaker for Democrats.
The final agreement to separate DHS funding from the other appropriations bills was brokered between the White House and Senate Democrats. While Democrats pushed for reforms in how ICE and other federal immigration officers operate, including changes to warrant procedures and the removal of masks during enforcement, those demands were sidelined in favor of ending the shutdown swiftly.
Schumer took to social media after the vote, calling for further oversight of ICE. “Masks need to come off, body cameras need to stay on—no secret police in the United States of America,” he posted. However, the Trump administration has already passed significant elements of its immigration agenda, including expanded hiring of ICE agents, in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed last July.
The shutdown was the second in under a year, following a 43-day closure in 2025 over Obamacare subsidies. With the current package in place, Congress will not need to revisit funding for most federal agencies until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. However, immigration negotiations are expected to dominate the next round of debate in February when DHS funding expires.
Speaker Johnson noted that while some Republicans had wanted more provisions included in the bill, the priority was reopening the government and continuing legislative negotiations in good faith. “We’re going to get this job done,” Johnson told reporters, framing the outcome as a win for fiscal responsibility and Republican unity.