WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill late on November 12, officially ending a record 43-day shutdown that had caused widespread financial hardship for federal workers, delays for air travelers, and long lines at food banks across the country.

The shutdown had deepened partisan divides in Washington, as Trump took unusual steps — including canceling projects and attempting to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into accepting his policy demands. The Republican president blamed Democrats for the standoff and urged voters to remember the episode in next year's midterm elections.

"So I just want to tell the American people, you should not forget this," Trump said at the signing ceremony. "When we come up to midterms and other things, don't forget what they've done to our country."

The House approved the measure earlier in the day by a narrow 222–209 vote, mostly along party lines, following Senate passage on November 10. The bill restores federal agency funding to existing levels through January 30, giving lawmakers more time to complete full-year spending legislation for the 2026 fiscal year, which runs through September 30.

One of the bill's key provisions temporarily blocks Trump's administration from carrying out mass firings of federal workers until January 30, a move that limits his push to shrink the size of the government. However, it adds no new restrictions on Trump's authority to unilaterally cut or withhold funds previously approved by Congress.

The vote came eight days after Democrats scored several major election victories, boosting their hopes of extending federal health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. The new funding deal paves the way for a Senate vote on the subsidy extension in December, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has not committed to holding a similar vote in his chamber.

Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill, recently elected as New Jersey's next governor, delivered an emotional farewell speech opposing the funding bill in what was likely her last appearance on the House floor before her resignation next week. She urged lawmakers to resist pressure from the Trump administration.

"To my colleagues: Do not let this body become a ceremonial red stamp for an administration that takes food away from children and rips away healthcare," Sherrill said. "To the country: Stand strong. As we say in the Navy, don't give up the ship."

No Clear Winner From Shutdown

Despite weeks of political infighting, neither party emerged with a decisive victory. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on November 12 found that 50 percent of Americans blamed Republicans for the record-long shutdown, while 47 percent blamed Democrats.

The vote also marked the Republican-controlled House's first session since mid-September, following a long recess designed to increase pressure on Democrats during the budget standoff. With the chamber back in session, lawmakers now face another contentious issue — a vote to release all unclassified records related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Both Johnson and Trump have resisted releasing the complete set of documents.

On November 12, Johnson swore in Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in September to fill the Arizona seat once held by her late father, Representative Raul Grijalva. Her arrival provided the final signature needed to force a House vote on the Epstein records, just hours after Democrats made public a new batch of documents from the case.

The move means that, after completing its primary duty of passing a funding bill to reopen the government, the House could soon be drawn into renewed controversy surrounding Trump's former associate. Epstein's ties to influential figures and his death in a Manhattan jail in 2019 have fueled years of speculation and conspiracy theories.

The newly passed funding legislation also includes a provision allowing eight Republican senators to seek financial compensation for alleged privacy violations linked to the Justice Department's investigation of the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack by Trump's supporters.

The measure retroactively makes it illegal, in most cases, to obtain a senator's phone records without disclosure. It also allows lawmakers whose data was seized to sue the Justice Department for $500,000 in damages, plus legal fees and related costs.