Khaberni - Today, Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which lasted 43 days, accusing the Democrats of "extortion".
Before signing the bill, amid applause from the gathered Republican legislators in the Oval Office, Trump said, "Today we send a clear message that we will never surrender to extortion."
Congress ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history yesterday, Wednesday, after 43 days, causing disruptions in vital economic sectors of the country and leaving hundreds of thousands of workers without wages, while Democrats and Republicans exchanged blame for the budget crisis.
The House of Representatives, dominated by Republicans, voted by a slim majority to approve a package endorsed by the Senate that would reopen federal departments and agencies, while several Democrats expressed their anger at what they saw as a surrender by party leaders.
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, in a scathing speech against the Democrats before the vote said, "They knew it would cause suffering, and they did it anyway, it was all pointless, it was wrong and evil."
Now, about 670,000 temporarily laid-off government employees will return to work, and a similar number of those who remained in their positions without pay, including more than 60,000 air traffic controllers and airport security staff, will receive their delayed salaries.
The agreement also stipulates the reinstatement of federal employees laid off by Trump during the shutdown period, while air travel, disrupted across the country, will gradually return to normal.
The White House said the president intends to sign the bill in a ceremony to be held in the Oval Office, at 9:45 PM (02:45 GMT).
Trump had little to say about the vote, although he took to social media to blame the Democrats for costing "our country $1.5 trillion due to their recent actions in shutting down our country."
The cost of the shutdown has not yet been determined, but the Congressional Budget Office estimates it resulted in a loss of $14 billion in growth.
"No Retreat"
Johnson and his Republican party had no room for error, as their majority had shrunk to just two votes.
Leading Democrats vowed to oppose the government funding bill, partly because it did not directly address the extension of health insurance benefits set to expire at the end of this year.
Since the beginning of the crisis, Trump exerted pressure on the Democrats by allowing the government shutdown to be as harsh as possible and refusing to negotiate on their demands related to health insurance.
A million federal employees were deprived of their salaries, and food assistance for low-income Americans was threatened, while travelers faced thousands of flight cancellations or delays before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Davy warned on Tuesday that chaos could worsen by the weekend if the shutdown continued, with air traffic controllers not receiving their salaries and authorities ordering a slowdown in air travel.
Polls showed that voters increasingly blamed Trump's party as the government shutdown continued for over 40 days.
However, the Democrats were the ones who backed down, giving the Republicans the additional votes they needed under Senate rules on Monday, without gaining the major concessions they had demanded.
The agreement on the compromise text caused a divide among the Democrats, as several prominent figures said they should have insisted on extending the health insurance benefits that were at the heart of the government shutdown battle.
Disappointment for Democrats
Despite his clear opposition to the bill and his vote against it, voices within the Democratic Party demanded the resignation of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, accusing him of failing to rally support from his caucus in the chamber.
This was particularly frustrating for the Democrats, coming just days after electoral victories that put Trump in an awkward position for the first time since his return to the White House.
The victories of the Democrats in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia highlighted the issue of living costs, a vulnerability for Trump and the Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
But Republicans in the Senate promised the Democrats to vote on health insurance, at a time when the cost of the "Obama Care" program is expected to double for millions of Americans, without extending the benefits.
The issue of health care itself threatened to cause a divide in Trump's alliance, and his slogan "Make America Great Again".
On Monday, Trump said his former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene "lost her way", after the Congresswoman made critical remarks, including saying she was "disgusted" by the prospect of her adult children's health insurance premiums doubling.
