WASHINGTON — The US House of Representatives voted Wednesday night to reopen the federal government after a record 43 day shutdown, bringing relief to hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers and signaling an end to weeks of political gridlock.
The bill, which cleared the House 222 to 209, now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law within hours. The measure will fund government operations through Jan. 30 and reverse thousands of layoffs initiated during the shutdown.
“We need to get this government open as soon as possible,” House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said on the House floor ahead of the vote. “The American people demand it and deserve it.”
The shutdown, the longest in American history, began on Oct. 1 when budget negotiations between Republican leadership and Senate Democrats collapsed over funding priorities.
Speaker Johnson, in an effort to pressure the Senate, had kept the House out of session since Sept. 19, halting legislative progress and deepening the impasse.
The Senate reached a bipartisan compromise earlier this week, with seven Democrats, one independent, and most Republicans supporting a short term measure to restore operations.
The deal was brokered after mounting pressure from business leaders, federal unions, and state officials warning of economic damage and public safety risks.
Federal paychecks are expected to resume by Saturday, according to a senior administration official, while agencies will begin recalling furloughed employees Thursday morning.
Political analysts say the agreement reflects exhaustion among lawmakers and the public rather than a lasting resolution to Washington’s budget standoffs.
“This deal doesn’t resolve the underlying divisions about spending priorities,” said Dr. Laura Kendall, a political science professor at Georgetown University. “It simply resets the clock until January, when Congress will once again face the same fiscal questions.”
Economists estimate the shutdown cost the US economy more than $12 billion in lost productivity, delayed contracts, and consumer spending reductions.
Even a temporary disruption of this magnitude affects small businesses, tourism, and community services that depend on federal operations, said Mark Benson, a senior economist at the Brookings Institution.
The legislation’s passage also marks a political recalibration for Speaker Johnson, who faced internal party pressure from fiscal conservatives but growing impatience from moderates and constituents.
The 43 day closure surpassed the 35 day government shutdown of 2018 2019, previously the longest on record. During the latest standoff, roughly 1.25 million federal employees were affected 650,000 furloughed and 600,000 required to work without pay.
Key agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Agriculture, struggled to maintain essential services.
The shutdown led to widespread flight delays, disruptions in food assistance programs, and temporary closures of national parks and loan offices.
The new legislation will appropriate funding for three spending bills and extend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through September 2026.
It also reverses over 4,000 layoffs attempted during the shutdown and guarantees back pay for all affected federal employees.
Across the country, relief mixed with frustration as news of the vote spread among federal workers.
“I’m grateful to be going back to work, but it shouldn’t take 43 days and a missed mortgage payment to make Congress do its job,” said Patricia Allen, a furloughed worker from Richmond, Virginia, who works for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Airport security officer Jeremy Ruiz in Dallas described the return to normalcy as “a huge relief,” adding, “We’ve been showing up every day without pay. Now we can finally breathe again.”
Union representatives also emphasized the toll on morale. “Federal employees love their jobs and serve the public faithfully,” said Janelle Price, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees. “But the uncertainty and financial stress of repeated shutdowns is unsustainable.”
While the measure restores government operations, it leaves unresolved budget debates that could trigger another shutdown early next year. The new funding deadline of Jan. 30 gives Congress less than three months to negotiate a long term spending plan.
Lawmakers on both sides acknowledged the need for more stable fiscal management. “This agreement is only a bridge,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut. “We must use this time to craft a durable budget framework that protects workers and strengthens the economy.”
Republican leaders, meanwhile, said the deal reflects responsible governance while maintaining pressure on Democrats for spending restraint. “We’re putting the government back to work and giving ourselves space to finish the job,” Johnson said.
As President Trump prepares to sign the measure into law, federal workers across the nation are set to return to their posts Thursday morning, ending a shutdown that tested both the resilience of public institutions and the patience of millions of Americans.
While Washington temporarily restores order, the political divisions that fueled the historic closure remain unresolved a reminder that America’s governance, though reopened, remains fragile.