US President Donald Trump signed a bill on Wednesday (12th November) that ended the 43-day government shutdown, which brought the country’s economy to a halt. Trump signed the funding package a couple of hours after the bill was passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 222-209.
The bill was supported by six democrats and opposed by two Republicans. The move would bring major relief for the federal workers whose salaries had been on hold due to the shutdown.
As per reports, the bill that ended the longest government shutdown in US history will keep the government running through January and guarantees that some key agencies will continue to receive funding for the remainder of the fiscal year 2026. The bill reinstates the federal workers dismissed by the Trump administration since the shutdown commenced on 1st October.
It protects the federal workers against further layoffs through January and ensures that they receive their due payments once the shutdown is over. The bill would reportedly extend funding through January 30, which is estimated to add a burden of $1.8 trillion a year to the country’s existing $38 trillion in debt.
Critical food and nutrition services, which were suspended due to the shutdown, will now resume. The bill ensures continuous funding to food assistance programs through the rest of the budget year. The package includes $203.5 million to enhance security for lawmakers and an additional $28 million for the security of Supreme Court justices.
What led to the government shutdown
The US government shutdown started on 1st October, after a budget stalemate between Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Congress. The Congress lawmakers failed to agree on passing a bill funding government services after the previous budget expired on 1st October. The disagreement arose after the Democrats proposed to extend expiring tax credits that make health insurance cheaper for a large number of Americans. Pertinently, the Trump administration had introduced certain cuts to the government healthcare programme, Medicaid, which is used by millions of US citizens, including the elderly, disabled and low-income people.
The shutdown resulted in several government services being temporarily suspended and over a million federal employees taking unpaid leave or working without pay. While the essential government services remain unaffected by the shutdown, many other government services are experiencing a shortage of funds.
A government shutdown usually occurs when Congress fails to pass a budget bill relating to the funding of the government agencies. In such a situation, government employees are sent on unpaid leave until a consensus is reached in Congress. This may bring several, if not all, government services to a halt.
