President Donald Trump officially ended the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history on November 12, 2025, signing a funding bill in the Oval Office after 43 days of federal closure. The resolution followed a bitter standoff between congressional Democrats and Republicans, primarily centered on healthcare funding, specifically the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies.

The shutdown began on October 1, 2025, after Democrats blocked a short-term funding measure, insisting it address their concerns regarding healthcare. Republicans, controlling both the House and Senate, had passed a bill to fund the government through the third week of November without spending cuts or major policy changes. However, it was blocked in the Senate via filibuster, as Republicans held 53 seats—short of the 60 votes needed to pass a funding bill.

The compromise bill, approved by the Senate on Monday and the House two days later, funds the Departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and military construction projects for fiscal year 2026 through September 30, 2026. It also extends funding for other agencies through January 30, 2026. Crucially, the bill ensures back pay and protections for federal employees, reinstating those laid off during the shutdown, and guarantees continued funding for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through September 2026. However, it notably did not include the extension of expiring tax credits for ACA health plans—a key demand from most Democrats—though some defecting Democrats were reportedly promised a future vote on the issue.

President Trump, surrounded by top Republicans and national business leaders, blamed Democrats for the record-breaking closure, stating, “Today, we’re sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion, because that’s what it was, they tried to extort, the Democrats tried to extort our country.” He urged American voters to remember the shutdown during the upcoming midterms and reiterated his call for ending the filibuster. Despite Trump’s strong rhetoric, polling indicated many voters held Republicans responsible for the shutdown.

The House vote passed 222 to 209, with six Democrats breaking party lines to support the bill. These included Representatives Jared Golden of Maine, Adam Gray of California, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Don Davis of North Carolina, Henry Cuellar of Texas, and Tom Suozzi of New York. Representative Gluesenkamp Perez explained her vote, stating, “the fight to stop runaway health insurance premiums won’t be won by holding hungry Americans hostage,” referring to SNAP recipients. On the Senate side, eight Democrats and an independent caucusing with them sided with Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold needed for passage.

However, not all Republicans supported the bill. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida voted against it in the House. Steube opposed the bill due to a last-minute Senate provision allowing eight Republican senators to sue the U.S. government for up to $500,000 each, following revelations that the government had spied on them. Speaker Johnson later acknowledged this provision was “way out of line,” and other Republicans, like Representatives John Rose and Anna Paulina Luna, publicly criticized it as “a way to undermine the integrity of the legislative process and set a dangerous precedent for future government oversight.”