NEED TO KNOW
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The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to reopen the federal government on Wednesday, Nov. 12, two days after it passed the Senate
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President Donald Trump signed the bill, ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history
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The bill includes fully funding SNAP
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history came to an end on Wednesday, Nov. 12, after President Donald Trump signed the bill reopening the federal government.
“The federal government will now resume normal operations,” Trump said during a signing ceremony at the White House. He also thanked the Democratic Senators who “did the right thing in voting to end this craziness” by voting for the bill on Monday, Nov. 10.
Trump added his signature to the bill just hours after the bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives. It was mostly a party-line vote, 222-209, with only six Democrats joining the Republican majority. Two Republicans joined the remaining Democrats in voting no.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson on Nov. 12
The legislation passed the Senate on Monday, Nov. 10, after seven Democrats and Sen. Angus King of Maine, an Independent, voted for it. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana then brought Congress back into session for the first time since Sept. 19 to vote to end the 43-day shutdown.
The legislation includes a “minibus” of three appropriations bills that provide funding through September 2026, reports NBC News. The rest of the government will be open through Jan. 30.
Democrats refused to vote for the bill in the Senate unless it included extensions for an enhanced tax credit that lowers the cost of health care plans from the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. The tax cut is set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans argued that it was a legislative fight for later and went on to blame Democrats for the shutdown, despite having the majority in both chambers of Congress.
“While the Democrats keep voting to shut their government down, Republicans are going to vote to open it back up,” Johnson said on the floor of Congress before the vote. “And with that, we’re going to get the American government running again and working for the people, as they deserve.”
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The U.S. Capitol on Sept. 29
The bill includes full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through September. Over 40 million Americans rely on SNAP, also known as food stamps.
The Trump administration’s firing of federal workers since the shutdown began was also reversed, reports the Associated Press. Federal workers will be protected against more layoffs through January, and it guarantees they will be paid after the shutdown ends.
Air travel might be slow to return to normal. Hours before Trump signed the new legislation, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration said flight reductions at 40 major airports will remain at 6% as more air traffic controllers, who had to work without pay during the shutdown, go back to work. There were plans to reduce flights by 10% by the end of the week.
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“If the FAA safety team determines the trend lines are moving in the right direction, we’ll put forward a path to resume normal operations,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement on Wednesday.
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