U.S. House of Representatives Passes Spending Bill, Ending Longest Government Shutdown
The United States House of Representatives has approved a comprehensive federal spending bill, marking the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Late Wednesday evening in the Republican-controlled chamber, the measure passed with 222 votes in favor, including six Democrats, while 209 opposed it, including two Republicans.
On Monday night, the United States Senate had already cleared the package by a 60-to-40 margin, authorizing funding through January 30 and restoring pay for hundreds of thousands of federal employees after six weeks of disruption.
With virtually all but essential government services stalled during the shutdown, the breakthrough followed weekend negotiations in which seven Democrats and one independent agreed to support the updated spending bill. The shutdown had entered its 42nd day at the time of the vote.
However, the agreement does not address one of the shutdown’s most pressing issues: pending cuts to healthcare subsidies affecting approximately 24 million Americans under the Affordable Care Act. Democrats repeatedly blocked earlier efforts to advance the bill, arguing that any resolution must include protections for low-income Americans facing escalating healthcare costs.
Shortly before the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson accused his Democratic colleagues of holding citizens “hostage” as part of a political strategy, blaming them for delaying a resolution since September.
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