US House passes bill to end government shutdown

The House of Representatives has approved a Senate-backed funding bill, officially ending the longest government shutdown in US history, as US media reported.

The final vote count was 222-209, with nearly all Republicans and a few Democrats supporting the legislation.

The measure now awaits President Donald Trump's signature, expected around 9:45 pm ET, which will formally reopen federal agencies and offices.​

However, the effects of the shutdown continue to ripple across the country.

Travellers are seeing significant impacts at airports, with over 900 flights canceled nationwide on the same day. Federal assistance programs like food stamps will also face delays in distributing full benefits to recipients, with schedules varying state by state, BBC reported.​

Trump's signature

Once signed by President Trump, the bill will provide funding through January 30, setting up a new deadline for congressional negotiations and raising the possibility of another funding showdown early next year. ​

Congressional leaders have acknowledged that restoring normal government operations will take time, as agencies process backlogs and workers return.

Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated the end of the shutdown, while Democratic leaders voiced concerns over missing healthcare provisions in the bill but vowed to keep pursuing their legislative priorities. ​

The shutdown has exposed vulnerabilities in public services and illustrated the hard political divides in both chambers, with the impacts likely to linger for weeks for travelers, federal employees, and families relying on safety net programs.

Since October 1, over a million federal workers have been unpaid, while government benefits and services have been disrupted. Air travel has been heavily affected, with hundreds of daily flight cancellations, increasing pressure to resolve the impasse.