U.S. Government Reopens After 43 Days, Wrapping the Longest Shutdown in History

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history officially ended on Wednesday, Nov. 12, when President Donald Trump signed legislation to reopen the federal government.

“The federal government will now resume normal operations,” Trump announced during a signing event at the White House. He expressed appreciation to Democratic Senators who supported the bill on Monday, Nov. 10, saying they “did the right thing in voting to end this craziness.”

The bill cleared the U.S. House of Representatives earlier that day in a 222-209 vote, largely along party lines. Six Democrats joined Republicans in support, while two Republicans sided with the remaining Democrats in opposition.

The Senate approved the measure on Nov. 10, with seven Democrats and Sen. Angus King of Maine, an Independent, voting in favor. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana reconvened Congress for the first time since Sept. 19 to put the shutdown to a close after 43 days.

NBC News reports that the legislation includes a “minibus” spending package covering three appropriations bills that will fund parts of the federal government through September 2026. The remainder of government operations will be funded through Jan. 30.

Democratic Senators insisted the package include continued support for an enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credit set to expire at year’s end — a provision Republicans argued should be taken up separately. GOP lawmakers still blamed Democrats for the prolonged shutdown, despite holding majorities in both chambers.

“While the Democrats keep voting to shut their government down, Republicans are going to vote to open it back up,” Johnson said ahead of the vote, emphasizing the need to get federal work moving again.

The measure restores full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through September, ensuring continued access to food assistance for more than 40 million Americans.

Additionally, the Associated Press reports that the administration’s shutdown-related firing of federal employees has been reversed. Workers will be protected from further job losses through January and guaranteed back pay.

It may take time, however, for air travel to fully recover. Before the bill was signed, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration announced that flight reductions of 6% would remain in effect at 40 major airports while staffing stabilizes. A larger 10% reduction planned for later in the week has been paused.

“If the FAA safety team determines the trend lines are moving in the right direction, we’ll put forward a path to resume normal operations,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a Wednesday statement.