BREAKING: The longest-ever government shutdown is over

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The House has passed a bill to fund the government through Jan. 30, ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history — a weeks-long standoff that disrupted millions of lives and delivered little political payoff for Democrats.

The bill passed on Wednesday night, despite the Republicans’ slim House majority. Nearly all Democrats opposed it, but six broke ranks to help push it through 43 days after the shutdown began. Two Republicans voted against it, resulting in a final tally of 222–209. President Trump is expected to sign the measure Wednesday night, allowing federal employees to return to work on Thursday.

The bill extends most federal funding at last year’s levels through January, while fully funding certain agencies—such as those handling SNAP—through the end of next September. SNAP, which aids nearly one in eight Americans, has been tied up in a court battle during the shutdown. It also reverses the layoffs imposed by the Trump administration, guarantees backpay for federal workers, and adds new protections to prevent future layoffs.

The bill does not address the core dispute behind the shutdown — whether to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at year’s end. Instead, as part of the bipartisan deal, Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed to hold a vote in mid-December on a Democratic proposal to extend those subsidies. Senate Democrats remain skeptical that the promise will actually be fulfilled.

“A handshake deal with my Republican colleagues to reopen the government and no guarantee to actually lower costs is simply not good enough,” claimed Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., who voted against the measure.

Even if the Senate passes a December bill to address the expiring subsidies, it would still have to clear the House — and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has not committed to bringing it up for a vote.

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