US President Donald Trump has signed a spending bill to reopen the government and end the longest shutdown in US history. He signed the short-term bill into law just hours after the House of Representatives passed it by a vote of 222 to 209, passing it on Wednesday evening, and two days after the Senate narrowly passed the same bill.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the government would now “resume normal operations” after “people were hurt so badly” by the 43-day shutdown. Many government services have been suspended since October, and about 1.4 million federal employees have been on unpaid leave or working without pay. Food aid has also been put on hold and air travel has been disrupted across the country.  Government services are expected to reopen in the coming days, while disruptions to air travel are likely to ease ahead of the approaching Thanksgiving holiday.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had reduced air traffic due to staff shortages resulting from the government shutdown.
This also had direct impacts on members of Congress trying to reach the nation’s capital on Wednesday for a vote in the House of Representatives. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican from Wisconsin, reportedly rode his motorcycle 1,609 miles across the country to cast his vote in the House of Representatives before it was sent to the president’s desk.
The bill provides funding to keep the government open only until January 30, when lawmakers will have to find a way to fund the government again. Before signing it into law, Trump again blamed the Democratic Party for the government shutdown.
“They did this purely for political reasons,” he said. “When we get to the midterm elections and other things, don’t forget what they’ve done to our country,” Trump added.
