Trump Signs Bill, Ending Longest US Government Shutdown

On November 12, Donald Trump signed the legislative package, ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. This occurred hours after the House of Representatives voted in favor of resuming funding, aiming to restore food assistance programs, pay the salaries of hundreds of thousands of federal employees, and normalize the disrupted air traffic control system.

The Republican-controlled chamber passed the package by a vote of 222 to 209. President Trump's support greatly helped unite his party, despite strong opposition from House Democrats. The Democrats were dissatisfied that the prolonged standoff initiated by their colleagues in the Senate failed to secure an extension of federal health insurance subsidies.

Trump's signing of the bill, which had already been approved by the Senate earlier in the week, will allow federal workers idled by the 43-day "shutdown" to return to their jobs as early as Thursday. However, it is still unclear how quickly the full scope of government services and functions will be restored. "We should never let this happen again," Trump said during a late-night signing ceremony, using the opportunity to criticize the Democrats. "This is not how you run a country."

The deal extends funding until January 30. The end of the shutdown offers some hope that services vital for air travel will have time to recover, as there are only two weeks left before the wave of travel associated with Thanksgiving.

According to economists, each week of the "shutdown" reduced the gross domestic product by more than one-tenth of a percentage point, although it is expected that most of the lost output will be recovered in the coming months.

Despite mutual accusations, neither side seems to have won a clear victory. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Wednesday, 50% of Americans blame Republicans for the shutdown, while 47% blame Democrats.