The President of the United States, Donald Trump, signed legislation Wednesday evening (local time, early Thursday Greece time) ending the longest government shutdown in the country’s history, which lasted 43 days. “Today we’re sending a clear message: we will not give in to extortion,” Trump declared sharply, addressing Democrats, moments before signing the bill in the presence of cheering Republican lawmakers in the Oval Office.
President Trump Signs Senate Amendment to H.R. 5371 https://t.co/YvF1x3E8yz
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 13, 2025
Relief after the longest shutdown in history
With the signing of the bill, the US government resumed operations after weeks during which thousands of federal employees remained without work or pay. The funding package passed the House of Representatives with 222 votes in favor and 209 against, having already been approved by the Senate, paving the way for the reopening of services that had been “frozen” since October 1st.
The signing took place at the historic Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, without Trump making statements to reporters. The development came hours after the release of thousands of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, which mentioned the president’s name without including charges against him.
SIGNED & DELIVERED: President Trump signs bill reopening the government. 🇺🇸
For 43 days, Democrats shut down the government, trying to extort billions from taxpayers for illegal aliens. Today’s message: Republicans won’t give in. pic.twitter.com/qesstMpMkR
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 13, 2025
What the bill signed by Trump includes
The 328-page bill signed by Donald Trump funds most federal agencies through January 30 and secures additional resources for:
- The SNAP food assistance program,
- the Department of Agriculture,
- Congress,
- veterans services, with funding through September 2025.
The bill ensures retroactive payment of salaries to all federal employees and cancels the layoffs of thousands of workers caused by the shutdown.
New provisions included:
Makes it illegal for federal prosecutors to examine senators’ phone records without warning and provides damages up to $500,000 for each violation. The provision applies retroactively from 2022, allowing certain Republican senators to sue over communications checks conducted during investigations into Trump’s role in the January 2021 Capitol incident.
The bill also reverses the legalization of hemp, which was established in 2018 as part of an agricultural bill and had allowed the creation of a multi-billion dollar industry for low-THC products like edibles and beverages.
Conversely, it does not include the extension of health insurance subsidies that Democrats wanted, affecting approximately 24 million Americans. Lawmakers agreed to revisit the issue with a new vote in December.
USA: The cost of the shutdown and political confrontations
The shutdown’s duration is estimated to have cost approximately $1.5 trillion, with Trump noting that this had a negative impact on the American economy. The president accused Democrats of “extortion” during negotiations, emphasizing that Republicans did not want the shutdown and blamed Democrats for pushing for excessive guarantees regarding healthcare subsidies.
The bill, besides restoring funding for federal agencies through January 30, 2026, includes full funding for the Department of Agriculture, military infrastructure projects, and the legislative branch. Additionally, it provides for retroactive payments to approximately 1.2 million federal employees affected by the shutdown.
Despite the resumption of services, the issue of Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) tax credits remains pending, as voting on the matter was postponed to mid-December in the Senate. Disagreements over healthcare and friction between Democrats and Republicans are expected to continue, with the possibility of new political tensions being very likely when temporary funding expires in 2026.
The shutdown may be over, but political and economic confrontations surrounding the American government and its funding continue, creating uncertainty for the future.
.@POTUS: “For the past 43 days, Democrats in Congress shut down the government of the United States in an attempt to extort American taxpayers for hundreds of billions of dollars for illegal aliens… Today, we’re sending a clear message that we will NEVER give in to extortion.” pic.twitter.com/kMKncQPsiL
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 13, 2025
