US House of Representatives votes to reopen government after 43-day shutdown
(VOVWORLD) -The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill to end the longest federal government shutdown in history, paving the way for the resumption of federal food aid programs, wage payments to hundreds of thousands of government workers, and the restoration of air traffic control operations.
 The US Capitol building in Washington, D.C., June 29, 2025 (Photo: REUTERS) |
In a 222 to 209 vote, the Republican-controlled House passed a government funding bill backed by President Donald Trump, despite vehement opposition from House Democrats. The Senate had already approved the bill, and the White House said Trump signed it into law later in the day—officially closing a 43-day partial government shutdown.
The bill will fund the Department of Defense, the Department of Agriculture, veterans’ affairs agencies, and Congress through next fall, and provide short-term funding for other federal agencies until the end of January 2026.
Some 670,000 furloughed federal workers will return to their jobs, and a similar number who were forced to work without pay—including more than 60,000 air traffic controllers and airport security staff—will receive full back pay.
The record-breaking shutdown had severe consequences across the US. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it cost the US economy 14 billion USD in lost output.