House Passes Bill to End Government Shutdown

The House of Representatives has garnered the necessary votes to conclude the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States.

On Wednesday evening, members met for the first time since September 19 to debate and vote on funding measures that had been previously approved by the Senate. The proposed bill required 217 “yes” votes for the government to reopen. Ultimately, it received 222 votes in favor, alongside 209 votes against.

Interestingly, six Democratic senators broke ranks with their party to support the bill, while two Republicans chose to side with the Democrats to maintain the shutdown.

The legislation is now set to go to President Donald Trump for his signature. Upon his approval, government operations will resume immediately.

Ahead of the vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries from New York engaged in a parliamentary procedure referred to as the “magic minutes.” During his address, he accused Republicans of exacerbating a “health care crisis” by not renewing tax credits linked to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) designed to lower health care costs.

In response, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) took the floor to apologize to the American public for the negative impacts of the shutdown. He accused Democrats of repeatedly obstructing funding efforts, referring to the bill’s rejection on 14 prior occasions before it was approved on Wednesday.

Now that it’s been passed, the bill will head to Trump’s desk, where he is expected to sign it, leading to a swift restoration of government operations.