Key Points
- The record-long, 43-day government shutdown has ended after President Trump signed a new bill into law.
- The bill passed the House on Wednesday and will fund the government until January 30.
- Federal employees will receive back pay and are expected to return to work on Thursday.
- The shutdown caused significant economic disruption, including 20,000 canceled or delayed flights and a likely hit to GDP growth.
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is finally over. A bill to end the 43-day stoppage is now law after the House of Representatives passed it, and President Trump quickly signed it.
The House passed the measure on Wednesday evening, 222 to 209. Federal employees are expected to return to work on Thursday. “The federal government will now resume normal operations,” President Trump said just before he signed the bill, adding that it will “get our country working again.”
The new law will provide back pay for federal workers and will keep the government open until January 30. It will also fund some federal programs, like the Agriculture and Veterans Affairs departments, for the entire fiscal year and will put limits on Trump’s ability to fire federal workers.
Now, the focus will shift to the economic damage caused by the shutdown, which could take weeks to assess fully. The Congressional Budget Office had estimated that a six-week shutdown would reduce Q4 GDP growth by 1.5 percentage points.
The economy is expected to rebound early next year. Still, the White House said that some economic data, including the Consumer Price Index and the October jobs report, may never be released, creating permanent gaps in economic information.
Travelers should also expect continued disruptions, as it will take time for airport operations to get back to normal. President Trump said on Wednesday evening that a total of 20,000 flights were canceled or delayed during the shutdown.
One group that will see immediate relief is the 42 million Americans who rely on food stamps. Payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are set to resume, providing much-needed food security for low-income families.
