After 43 days, the government shutdown has officially ended. The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday evening to approve a Senate measure to reopen the government, and President Donald Trump signed the bill into law. The deal leaves open the question of rising health care costs that motivated the political standoff.
House passes deal on party lines, with a few exceptions
On Wednesday evening, the House voted to approve a bill passed by the Senate to authorize a new federal budget. Lawmakers scrambled to return from their districts to Washington, D.C., for the vote, a process made more difficult due to flight cuts around the country as airports remained understaffed during the shutdown. The final vote was 222-209. Only six Democrats, mostly from competitive districts or not seeking reelection next year, supported the bill, while two Republicans — Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida — opposed the measure. Steube objected to a measure added to the bill that allows a group of senators to sue the government because their phone records were accessed by special prosecutor Jack Smith’s investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection. “I could not in good conscience support a resolution that creates a self-indulgent legal provision for certain senators to enrich themselves by suing the Justice Department using taxpayer dollars,” Steube tweeted. “There is no reason the House should have been forced to eat this garbage to end the Schumer Shutdown.”
Funding government for now, setting up debate on health care costs
The bill Trump signed fully funds the federal government through Jan. 30, meaning that another shutdown could occur if a longer-term deal isn’t struck by then. However, even if a deal is not reached, the bill ensures that some key federal services and programs will continue. The current bill provides year-long funding for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Veteran Affairs, among other programs. It also restores funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which has been the topic of a legal fight as the Trump administration resisted efforts to pay full food assistance benefits during the shutdown. The bill funds other assistance programs as well, including an increase for WIC. The bill does not guarantee an extension for Affordable Care Act health care tax credits; Senate Republicans have promised a vote on the issue at a later date, but the House GOP has not committed to considering the issue.
Trump attacks Democrats, proposes unclear alternative on health care
Trump, surrounded by GOP lawmakers, signed the bill into law Wednesday night in an Oval Office ceremony. He gave remarks to reporters, blaming Democrats for the shutdown, saying “Democrats tried to extort our country” and “Republicans never wanted a shutdown.” Trump renewed his call for the Senate to end the filibuster as a way of preventing a future shutdown. Addressing rising health care costs, Trump did not directly comment on Democrats’ push to renew subsidies for health insurance, which was the initial motivation for the shutdown. Instead, Trump criticized “Obamacare” and insurance companies and seemed to propose some kind of alternative. “I want the money to go directly to you, the people. And you’ll go out and you’ll buy your own health insurance and you’ll negotiate different plans and you’ll get much better insurance and you’ll be an entrepreneur for yourself.” The president did not explain the details of such a proposal, such as how individual citizens would negotiate with insurance companies or how the issue was related to entrepreneurship. Trump did not take questions about his proposals or about the Epstein emails released Wednesday that discussed him.
While the government will be reopening, it will take time to restore air travel, distribute food assistance benefits, and otherwise recover from the longest shutdown in United States history. And the temporary deal sets up a continuing debate on health insurance, with no clear resolution in sight for addressing rising costs.