President Trump signed a
government funding package at the White House late Wednesday, formally ending
the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
The bill was passed by
the House and Senate this week, bringing an end to a stalemate that gripped
Capitol Hill for 43 days, with the final outcome falling largely along party
lines.The legislation extends funding for most agencies until Jan. 30
and includes three full-year funding bills for other parts of the government.
The Senate approved the
legislation on Monday, when eight
Democrats joined Republicans to end the standoff in the upper chamber.Most
House Democrats opposed the legislation since it does not address expiring
health care tax credits that were at the center of the party's shutdown demands
. As part of the deal
with Republicans, Senate Democrats were promised a vote on the issue by
mid-December, setting the stage for the next major fight on Capitol Hill.
The longest government
shutdown in modern U.S. history came to a close Wednesday night when President
Trump signed a bill to fund the government through Jan. 30, ending a
43-day-long impasse.
The shutdown impacted 42 million federal food aid recipients, 670,000 furloughed federal employees and 4,000 government workers who faced layoffs. It also threatened more than $7 billion in economic damage.