President Trump signs government funding bill, ending shutdown after a
record 43-day disruption
[November 13, 2025]
By KEVIN FREKING, JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MATT BROWN
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a government funding
bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused
financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks,
stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at
some food banks.
The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took
unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and
trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on
their demands.
The Republican president blamed the situation on Democrats and suggested
voters shouldn’t reward the party during next year’s midterm elections.
“So I just want to tell the American people, you should not forget
this,” Trump said. “When we come up to midterms and other things, don’t
forget what they’ve done to our country.”
The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure
on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had already passed
the measure Monday.
Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced tax credit expiring at the end of
the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through
Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a
short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But
Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another
time.
“We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government
shutdowns don’t work,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of
the House Appropriations Committee. "They never achieve the objective
that you announce. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that objective
yet, and you’re not going to.”
A bitter end after a long stalemate
The frustration and pressures generated by the shutdown was reflected
when lawmakers debated the spending measure on the House floor.
Republicans said Democrats sought to use the pain generated by the
shutdown to prevail in a policy dispute.
“They knew it would cause pain and they did it anyway,” House Speaker
Mike Johnson said.
Democrats said Republicans raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year
that they say mostly will benefit the wealthy. But the bill before the
House Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero
guarantee there will ever, ever be a vote to extend tax credits to help
everyday people pay for their health care,” said Rep. Jim McGovern,
D-Mass.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would not give up on
the subsidy extension even if the vote did not go their way.
“This fight is not over,” Jeffries said. “We’re just getting started.”
The House had not been in legislative session since Sept. 19, when it
passed a short-term measure to keep the government open when the new
budget year began in October. Johnson sent lawmakers home after that
vote and put the onus on the Senate to act, saying House Republicans had
done their job.
What's in the bill to end the shutdown
The legislation is the result of a deal reached by eight senators who
broke ranks with the Democrats after reaching the conclusion that
Republicans would not bend on using a government funding to bill to
extend the health care tax credits.
The compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of
government funding through Jan. 30. Republicans promised to hold a vote
by mid-December to extend the health care subsidies, but there is no
guarantee of success.
The bill includes a reversal of the firing of federal workers by the
Trump administration since the shutdown began. It also protects federal
workers against further layoffs through January and guarantees they are
paid once the shutdown is over. The bill for the Agriculture Department
means people who rely on key food assistance programs will see those
benefits funded without threat of interruption through the rest of the
budget year.
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In this image provided by House Television, the vote total showing
passage of the bill in the House to end the government shutdown is
displayed Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington.
(House Television via AP)
The package includes $203.5 million to boost security for lawmakers
and an additional $28 million for the security of Supreme Court
justices.
Democrats also decried language in the bill that would give senators
the opportunity to sue when a federal agency or employee searches
their electronic records without notifying them, allowing for up to
$500,000 in potential damages for each violation.
The language seems aimed at helping Republican senators pursue
damages if their phone records were analyzed by the FBI as part of
an investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election
loss. The provisions drew criticism from Republicans as well.
Johnson said he was “very angry about it.”
“That was dropped in at the last minute, and I did not appreciate
that, nor did most of the House members,” Johnson said, promising a
vote on the matter as early as next week.
The biggest point of contention, though, was the fate of the
expiring enhanced tax credit that makes health insurance more
affordable through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
“It's a subsidy on top of a subsidy. Our friends added it during
COVID,” Cole said. “COVID is over. They set a date certain that the
subsidies would run out. They chose the date."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the enhanced tax credit was
designed to give more people access to health care and no Republican
voted for it.
“All they have done is try to eliminate access to health care in our
country. The country is catching on to them,” Pelosi said.
Without the enhanced tax credit, premiums on average will more than
double for millions of Americans. More than 2 million people would
lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the
Congressional Budget Office projected.
Health care debate ahead
It’s unclear whether the parties will find any common ground on
health care before the December vote in the Senate. Johnson has said
he will not commit to bringing it up in his chamber.
Some Republicans have said they are open to extending the COVID-19
pandemic-era tax credits as premiums will soar for millions of
people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the
subsidies. Some argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be
routed through individuals rather than go directly to insurance
companies.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, said Monday that she was supportive of extending the tax
credits with changes, such as new income caps. Some Democrats have
signaled they could be open to that idea.
House Democrats expressed great skepticism that the Senate effort
would lead to a breakthrough.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House
Appropriations Committee, said Republicans have wanted to repeal the
health overhaul for the past 15 years. “That’s where they’re trying
to go,” she said.
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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this
report.
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