President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks.
The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had already passed the measure Monday.
The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.
Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced tax credit expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time.
Here’s the latest:
Trump has the White House’s East Room will be part of the ‘future’ entrance of his ballroom
The president was addressing an East Room event when he paused to indicate the huge, active construction site nearby where the ballroom is being built – and where the East Wing was demolished to make room.
“In about two years from now, we’ll use a much bigger room,” Trump said, adding that the new ballroom’s entrance will be “right here” and suggested that the project might require removing more of the existing White House.
“It looks pretty nice right now. It’ll look a lot better in a little while,” Trump said. He also said the ballroom has “really become very popular” – an assertion the president has frequently repeated that is not backed up by recent polling.
Trump administration slaps terror designation on 4 left-wing groups in Europe
The Trump administration is designating four European left-wing groups as terrorist organizations, following through on the president’s vow to crack down on leftists after the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The networks all appear to be based in Europe, with no operations in the United States. They are an Italian anarchist front that sent explosive packages to the then-president of the European commission in 2003, two Greek networks believed to have planted bombs outside riot police and labor department buildings in Athens, and an anti-fascist group whose members were prosecuted by German authorities for a hammer attack against neo-Nazis in Dresden.
The designation allows the administration to target any financial support the networks may have in the U.S. Most anarchist and antifa, or anti-fascist, groups are technically not organizations but rather loose affiliations of individuals who join up for specific actions.
First lady headlines executive order signing on foster youth
First lady Melania Trump kicked off an East Room event on Thursday to promote an executive order meant to help current and former foster youth.
Her husband, the president, is to sign the executive order shortly. Melania Trump said it was “truly inspiring to see everyone gather here together, united in support of this remarkable initiative.”
2 Smithsonian museums to reopen
Two of the Smithsonian’s museums along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. – American History and Air and Space – were set to reopen Friday after people had been turned away from the free attractions for more than four weeks during the government shutdown.
The organization says on its website that the rest of the Smithsonian’s sites across the Washington area and New York will reopen by Monday, on a rolling basis.
All Smithsonian buildings and the National Zoo were first closed Oct. 12.
Most of the Smithsonian museums are typically open every day of the year with just one exception for Christmas. The 20 sites together hosted more than 16 million people last year, and the organization has more than 3,600 federal employees.
While the zoo has been closed, the popular livestream feeds capturing the famous giant pandas playing, rolling in the grass or eating were offline. The normally active social media pages sharing animal updates and colorful photographs were silent. Still, even during a shutdown, the animals continue to be fed and get care, unpublicized.
The Education Department brings back staff members
The Education Department said Thursday it had brought back all its staff members who were furloughed during the government shutdown or dismissed in the Trump administration’s round of mass firings in October.
The administration laid off 466 Education Department staffers in the cross-government firings meant to pressure Democratic lawmakers over the shutdown. Those layoffs had been halted by a federal judge.
The department furloughed 2,117 employees at the start of the shutdown, but some were brought back for essential work.
New grants were put on hold during the shutdown. Most school districts received the bulk of their federal funding over the summer, but some grants that schools were counting on for this year have been delayed.
Recipients of Impact Aid, which boosts the budgets of districts with large amounts of federal land that can’t be taxed for local schools, were waiting to learn when their payments would be processed.
Justice Department sues to block California US House map
The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026.
The complaint filed in California federal court targets the new congressional map pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to a similar Republican-led effort in Texas backed by President Donald Trump. It sets the stage for a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Republican administration and the Democratic governor, who’s seen as a likely 2028 presidential contender.
“California’s redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an emailed statement. “Governor Newsom’s attempt to entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians will not stand.”
California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment changing the congressional boundaries to give Democrats a shot at winning five seats now held by Republicans in next year’s midterm elections.
Federal workers to receive backpay by Nov. 19
The Trump administration is working to push out pay for federal workers that had been on hold because of the government shutdown by the middle of next week.
The money will go out in four separate tranches, depending on the agency, according to a senior administration official. The varied dates are because agencies are on different pay schedules and payroll providers.
The White House had pushed federal agencies to expedite backpay for employees, said the official, granted anonymity to discuss the administration’s plans.
The schedule is as follows: —Nov. 15: Employees at the General Services Administration and Office of Personnel Management will be paid a “supercheck” that covers the period of Oct. 1 to Nov. 1 —Nov. 16: Employees at the Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs will be paid for the period from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1, as well as civilian employees at the Pentagon. —Nov. 17: Employees at the Departments of Education, State, Interior, and Transportation, as well as those at the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, National Science Foundation, Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Social Security Administration will be paid for the period from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1. —Nov. 19: Employees from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, Treasury and the Small Business Administration will be paid for the period from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15.
—By Seung Min Kim
Voto Latino criticizes House for ignoring health crisis and voting ‘yes’ on budget bill
On Wednesday evening the House voted on a budget bill that ended the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Voto Latino leaders said the House “chose to ignore the health crisis millions of Americans are facing” when it voted on a budget bill that they claim will jeopardize the health of Latino communities by failing to fund subsidies provided by the Affordable Care Act that make health coverage more accessible.
“Latinos are already left behind when it comes to accessing health care coverage,” Voto Latino leaders said in a statement. “With lawmakers choosing to turn a blind eye to this reality, these disparities will only grow, and families will be pushed to make difficult decisions when it comes to seeking medical attention.”
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized after fall
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman had what his office says was a “ventricular fibrillation flare-up” that caused him to feel light-headed and fall during an early morning walk Thursday. He was doing well and was hospitalized in Pittsburgh, his office said. He sustained minor injuries to his face and was under “routine observation” at the hospital, the office said.
Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in 2022, has disclosed that he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and a heart condition called atrial fibrillation.
Cardiomyopathy can impede blood flow and potentially cause heartbeats so irregular they can be fatal. Atrial fibrillation can cause blood to pool inside a pocket of the heart, allowing clots to form. Clots then can break off, get stuck and cut off blood, causing a stroke.
Wait and see on poverty program reimbursements
The federal government is back but it is unclear when and if Washington, D.C., will be reimbursed for the payments it made to programs for its impoverished residents while the government was shut down.
Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered that the thousands of recipients of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and the WIC program receive their benefits during the shutdown. The city ultimately covered $18.5 million of the SNAP expense after the federal government made a partial payment of $8 million at the direction of a federal district judge.
Overall, it will be months before city officials know the full impact of the shutdown in terms of economics although at least budgetarily it will be a better outcome than 2024 when the city was unable to spend more than $1 billion of its own tax revenue on its budget because of action by the House.
This year the city retained its spending authority on the budget the council passed.
States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions after government shutdown ends
With the longest U.S. government shutdown over, state officials said Thursday they’re working quickly to get full SNAP food benefits to millions of people, though it still could take up to a week for some to receive their delayed aid.
A back-and-forth series of court rulings and shifting policies from Trump’s administration has led to a patchwork distribution of November benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. While some states already had issued full SNAP benefits, about two-thirds of states had issued only partial benefits or none at all before the government shutdown ended late Wednesday, according to an Associated Press tally.
The federal food program serves about 42 million people, about 1 in 8 Americans, in lower-income households. They receive an average of around $190 monthly per person, though that doesn’t necessarily cover the full cost of groceries for a regular month.
▶ Read more about the shutdown and SNAP food benefits
Judge hears arguments challenging appointment of prosecutor who charged James Comey, Letitia James
Lawyers for two of President Trump’s foes who’ve been charged by the Justice Department asked a judge Thursday to dismiss the cases against them, saying the prosecutor who secured the indictments was illegally installed in the role.
U.S. District Cameron McGowan Currie didn’t immediately rule from the bench but said she expects to decide by Thanksgiving on challenges to Lindsey Halligan’s appointment as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The requests are part of multiprong efforts by former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James to get their cases dismissed before trial.
At issue during Thursday’s arguments are the complex constitutional and statutory rules governing the appointment of the nation’s U.S. attorneys, who function as top federal prosecutors in Justice Department offices across the country.
▶ Read more about the Justice Department cases
Trump’s new ambassador visits head of Greece’s Orthodox Church
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the first female U.S. ambassador to Greece and a close ally of President Trump, visited the head of Greece’s Orthodox Church on Thursday, telling him he was the first person she called after being nominated to her new post.
Guilfoyle’s visit to Archbishop Ieronymos II came just over a week after she took up her new position in Athens. A former California prosecutor and Fox News host who was once engaged to Donald Trump Jr, the 56-year-old presented her diplomatic credentials to Greece’s president on Nov. 4.
“It’s wonderful to be here and I’m just very grateful that President Trump has blessed me with the opportunity to serve the United States here in Greece, for the relationship that we have and for that growing and blossoming going forward,” Guilfoyle said during the meeting with the 87-year-old archbishop.
Ieronymos extended his thanks “to the president for the opportunity that he gave us today. May God bless these relations.”
▶ Read more about the ambassador’s visit in Greece
Funding bill renews Medicare telehealth program
Medicare telehealth waivers that allow millions of older adults to get virtual health care without leaving home were restored through Jan. 30 in the government funding bill, after lapsing during the 43-day shutdown.
Patients and caregivers reacted with relief — but called for more action.
“We are pleased that Congress has worked together to temporarily restore the telehealth funding, but we hope they can make this a permanent part of the healthcare system,” said Martha Swick, a full-time caregiver for her husband Bill, who uses the program for speech therapy to treat his degenerative brain disease.
The deal also restored funding through Jan. 30 for a Medicare program that allows some patients to receive hospital-level acute in-person care at home.
Essential federal workers expected to get backpay soon, White House official says
Federal workers deemed essential, including Capitol Police officers, TSA workers and air traffic controllers, had been forced to work without pay during the shutdown.
But Kevin Hassett, chair of the National Economic Council at the White House, said their checks should soon be on the way.
“I think that the payments will come probably come in the next week,” Hassett said. “Maybe even before.”
Health care debate ahead
It’s unclear whether the parties will find any common ground on health care before the December vote in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will not commit to bringing it up in his chamber.
Some Republicans have said they’re open to extending the COVID-19 pandemic-era tax credits as premiums will soar for millions of people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies. Some argue the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals rather than go directly to insurance companies.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Monday that she was supportive of extending the tax credits with changes, such as new income caps. Some Democrats have signaled they could be open to that idea.
A bitter end after a long stalemate
The frustration and pressures generated by the shutdown was reflected when lawmakers debated the spending measure on the House floor.
Republicans said Democrats sought to use the pain generated by the shutdown to prevail in a policy dispute.
“They knew it would cause pain and they did it anyway,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
Democrats said Republicans raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year that they say mostly will benefit the wealthy. But the bill before the House on Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero guarantee there will ever, ever be a vote to extend tax credits to help everyday people pay for their health care,” said Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts.
Federal workers deeply felt the impacts of the shutdown
The shutdown created a cascade of troubles for many Americans. Throughout the shutdown, at least 670,000 federal employees were furloughed, while about 730,000 others were working without pay, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The plight of the federal workers was among several pressure points, along with flight disruptions and cuts to food aid, that in the end ratcheted up the pressure on lawmakers to come to an agreement to fund the government.
Throughout the six-week shutdown, officials in President Trump’s administration repeatedly used the federal workers as leverage to try to push Democrats to relent on their health care demands. The Republican president signaled that workers going unpaid wouldn’t get back pay. He threatened and then followed through on firings in a federal workforce already reeling from layoffs earlier this year. A court then blocked the shutdown firings, adding to the uncertainty.
Federal workers question whether the longest government shutdown was worth their sacrifice
Jessica Sweet spent the federal government shutdown cutting back. To make ends meet, the Social Security claims specialist drank only one coffee a day, skipped meals, cut down on groceries and deferred paying some household bills. She racked up spending on her credit card buying gas to get to work.
With the longest shutdown ever coming to a close, Sweet and hundreds of thousands of other federal workers who missed paychecks will soon get some relief. But many are left feeling that their livelihoods served as political pawns in the fight between recalcitrant lawmakers in Washington and are asking themselves whether the battle was worth their sacrifices.
“It’s very frustrating to go through something like this,” said Sweet, who is a union steward of AFGE Local 3343 in New York. “It shakes the foundation of trust that we all place in our agencies and in the federal government to do the right thing.”
▶ Read more about how federal workers felt about the shutdown
OPM: Get back to it, federal workers
The Office of Personnel Management posted on X that federal workers are expected to be back to the grind on Thursday, with Trump signing a measure ending the record 43-day shutdown.
“Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are open. Employees are expected to begin the workday on time. Normal operating procedures are in effect,” the OPM posting says.
By The Associated Press
