Government expected to re-open after Trump signs funding bill
Congress votes to reopen federal government
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to end the 43-day government shutdown, sending the funding bill to President Trump. His signature on Wednesday night will restore federal employee pay and services like SNAP benefits.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to reopen the government after a 43-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.
The house vote was decided 222 to 209 with six Democrats joining Republicans.
President Trump signed the bill in the Oval Office on Wednesday night. The bill funds the government through January.
FILE-An image of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., US, on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Funding Secured, But Normalcy Will Lag
What we know:
The bill funds the government, including SNAP benefits through January. Reopening the government means federal employees will get paid again, but things won't return to normal immediately.
The measure also reverses layoffs of workers that happened during the shutdown, and it includes a provision that would allow eight Republican senators to potentially collect $500,000 each for being investigated for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Also hidden in the legislation is a reversal of a 2018 farm bill loophole, which could effectively end the nation’s hemp industry.
The FAA says flight cuts will stay at 6%, instead of increasing to 10%, as air traffic controllers come back to work and return to normal operations.
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The House debated for over an hour on the floor.
Bipartisan Blame Game
What they're saying:
Democrats pointed fingers at President Donald Trump and the Republicans for the longest government shutdown in history.
"Where do we go from here? House Democrats have a simple answer: We will continue to fight to lower the cost of living, House Democrats will continue to fight the healthcare crisis that the Republicans created, and House Democrats will continue to fight to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for tens of thousands of millions of Americans. This fight is not over. We're just getting started," said Democratic House leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks to reporters at a press conference on government funding in the U.S. Capitol on September 29, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Republicans say the democrats are to blame because they asked for too much when it came to healthcare subsidies.
"From the beginning of this whole ordeal on the republican side, we operated in good faith. We offered a clean, nonpartisan CR. We were honest and transparent with the American people from the very beginning and every single day of the shutdown," said Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.
FILE - Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) talks to reporters during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on Feb. 14, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Party Defections Pave the Way
Dig deeper:
It appears all the North Texas Democrats planned to vote against the bill and all the republicans planned to vote for it, despite six Democrats joining Republicans and voting yes to the spending bill. Other democrats did not break with their party and voted against the bill.
Even without the majority of Democrats' support, it did pass and the bill was sent to President Trump’s desk.
Earlier this week, eight senators broke with the Democratic Party and voted with Republicans to re-open the government. However, Senate Democrats did win the promise of a vote next month on the health care support.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's Amelia Jones.