Trump Ends Historic US Shutdown After 43-Day Standoff

Trump Ends Historic US Shutdown After 43-Day Standoff

The United States began preparing to reopen its federal government on Thursday after President Donald Trump signed legislation to end the longest shutdown in the nation’s history.

The 43-day funding halt paralysed federal operations, leaving hundreds of thousands of workers without pay as Republicans and Democrats engaged in a bitter standoff over spending priorities. The House of Representatives, controlled by Republicans, voted largely along party lines to approve the Senate’s compromise package, triggering the end of the freeze. Many Democrats expressed frustration, accusing party leaders of conceding too much.

Trump signed the bill in the Oval Office, criticising Democrats for the impasse and urging voters to remember the turmoil when they head to the polls for next year’s midterm elections. “Today we are sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion,” he said, surrounded by Republican lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Both sides continued to trade blame. Johnson delivered a scathing speech on the House floor, while Trump accused Democrats of inflicting economic harm—claims that contradict assessments from federal analysts. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the shutdown resulted in around $14 billion in lost economic growth.

Under the agreement, funding for military construction, veterans’ affairs, the Department of Agriculture and Congress is secured through next autumn. Most other federal agencies will be financed through January, when lawmakers must once again negotiate a new spending deal.

Roughly 670,000 furloughed civil servants are expected to return to work, while another similar number—who worked without pay, including more than 60,000 air traffic controllers and airport security personnel—will receive back pay. Several agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, instructed staff to return to their offices on Thursday.

Air travel disruptions are also expected to ease. Nearly 1,000 flights were cancelled on Thursday, although officials said staffing shortages among air traffic controllers were improving. The transportation secretary issued a revised directive allowing only six per cent of flights to be frozen, down from earlier projections of eight to ten per cent.

The deal reinstates federal workers who were dismissed during the shutdown, and authorities anticipate that services disrupted across the country will gradually return to normal.

The political fallout, however, remains significant. While polls showed public sympathy leaning toward Democrats during the shutdown, many analysts believe Republicans emerged in a relatively stronger position at its close.

For more than five weeks, Democrats had refused to reopen the government without securing an extension of pandemic-era tax credits that helped millions afford health insurance. A string of electoral victories last week had strengthened their resolve, but a group of eight Senate moderates ultimately broke ranks, negotiating a deal that promises only a future vote on health care subsidies. The House is not obliged to act on the matter.

The outcome has sparked internal turmoil among Democrats, who are now confronting questions over how their firm stance dissolved without achieving tangible gains. Party leaders argue that, despite losing leverage, they succeeded in elevating health care as a major national issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“We have elevated the issue of the Republican health care crisis, and we’re not backing away from it,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in an interview.

But Senate Leader Chuck Schumer faces sharp criticism from progressive factions for failing to preserve party unity. A handful of House Democrats have even called for new leadership.

Outside Washington, several high-profile Democratic governors and potential 2028 presidential contenders echoed the dissatisfaction. California Governor Gavin Newsom labelled the agreement “pathetic,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called it an “empty promise,” and former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg described it as a “bad deal.”