President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed legislation to reopen the federal government, ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history after a weeks-long standoff between the House and Senate over spending and health-care provisions.
The measure, approved by Congress earlier in the day, restores full federal operations after a funding lapse that began October 1. The stopgap bill keeps government spending at fiscal year 2025 levels through January 30 while lawmakers continue negotiations on a broader 2026 agreement.
The shutdown strained federal agencies, disrupted travel because of staffing shortages, and halted pay for thousands of government employees. The newly signed law ensures those workers will receive back pay for the duration of the shutdown and reverses job cuts initiated in early October.
Importantly, the package also extends funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through September 2025, covering benefits for more than 42 million Americans.
The shutdown emerged from a deadlock over whether to extend expiring health-care subsidies and how to structure long-term federal spending. That impasse pushed Congress past the start of the fiscal year, triggering a historic government closure that stretched for more than six weeks.
With agencies set to resume full operations, lawmakers now face a tight deadline to reach a long-term spending agreement before the next funding cutoff at the end of January.
