President Donald Trump signed a bill to reopen the government and end the longest shutdown in US history.
He signed the short-term bill in the closing hours as the House of Representatives voted 222-209 to approve it Wednesday night, and two days after the Senate approved the same bill.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the government would now “resume normal operations” after “people have been terribly hurt” by the 43-day shutdown.
Many government services have been suspended since October, and about 1.4 million federal employees are without pay or working without pay. Food AID is also left in Limbo and air travel is disrupted across the country.
Government services are expected to reopen in the coming days, while air travel disruptions are likely to fill in ahead of the main Thanksgiving holiday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reduced air traffic due to staff shortages due to the shutdown.
That has a direct impact on members of Congress who intend to reach the nation’s capital on Wednesday for the Boto Vote.
Ordained Derrick Van, a Wisconsin Republican, rode his motorcycle almost 1,000 miles (1,609km) across the country to send his vote to the desk before sending it to the President’s desk.
The Bill only provides funding to keep the government open until January 30, when lawmakers must once again find a way to fund the government.
Before signing it into law, Trump repeatedly blamed the shutdown on the Democratic party. “They did it purely for political reasons,” he said.
“When we go to middlemen and other things, don’t forget what they have done in our country,” he added.
The Senate Democrats were able to shop to shut down even a minority in the chamber, because the Republicans needed some democratic votes to pass a temporary funding fund.
At first they refused to support the bill, demanding that the Republicans agree to the extension of health insurance subsidies for African Americans that is scheduled to end the year.
Republicans have maintained that a discussion on health care could come after the government reopens.
But on Sunday, a group of eight Senate Democrats broke with the Party and helped pass the spending package. They chose it in exchange for a promise of a vote on healthcare subsidies in December.
This led to fury within the democratic party, and public criticism from minority owner figures Hakeem Jeffries Gavin Newsom.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader of the chamber, said that the package “fails to do anything to fix the health crisis in America.
Virginia Senator Senator Tim Kaine is one of the group of Democrats who weigh in favor of the compromise. He rejected the criticism, and said the federal workers he represents are “saying thank you” for agreeing to the deal.
Hours before the House voted to reopen the government, Democrats in Congress were seen as their newest lawmakers taking the oath of office.
The addition does not provide enough leverage to affect whether health care subsidies are included in the government’s government funding, but the Democrats welcome Adelita Griilva to their ranks on the floor of the chamber.
The Democratic Representative for Arizona was elected on September 23, but the house has not been in session since his father Raul Griirva, who died earlier this year.
Democrats then targeted their newest member to force a vote on legislation that would require the release of files related to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The petition must sit for seven years in the legislature before it is called for consideration on the floor — and then the house leadership must schedule a vote within two leadership days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson reassured Johnson on Wednesday and said he would schedule a vote for next week.
What’s in the spending deal?
The deal negotiated over the weekend provides funding for the federal government until 30 January.
It also includes full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, as well as funding for military construction and legislative agencies.
Assured that all Federal workers will be compensated for the shutdown period, and funding for the supplemental nutrition assistance program
The package includes an agreement for a vote in December on the expectation of health care subsidies in which the Democrats withheld concessions.
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