The longest government shutdown in U.S. history has ended after more than a month.
President Donald Trump signed legislation late Wednesday to reopen the federal government, hours after the House of Representatives voted 222–209 to approve a funding package. The move ends weeks of disruption that left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay and shuttered key services, from food assistance programs to national parks.
Under the agreement, federal employees will receive back pay for the missed weeks. Federal agencies, preschools, and food benefit programs will resume operations, and delayed economic data releases will restart.
Trump signs bill, blames Democrats
Trump signed the bill around 10:25 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after the House vote. In televised remarks from the Oval Office, he blamed Democrats for the shutdown.
President Donald Trump shows the signed bill package to reopen the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 12, 2025.
“The extremists in the other party insisted on creating the longest government shutdown in American history, and they did it purely for political reasons,” Trump said, surrounded by House Republicans.
All but two House Republicans voted in favor of the measure, while only six Democrats supported it. The Senate had approved the deal earlier in the week after several Democrats dropped policy demands over health care to end the stalemate.
Hochul: Shutdown created ‘chaos’ for New Yorkers
Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized Republican leadership following the deal, saying the shutdown caused unnecessary hardship for New Yorkers.
“At a time when Republicans control every lever of the federal government, they shut it down, creating chaos in our airports, in our federal workforce, and for hungry families who depend on SNAP,” Hochul said in a statement.
She urged New York’s congressional Republicans to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits and focus on affordability for working families.
New York lawmakers divided
Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-Irondequoit) said he voted against the bill because it “fails to bring down the crushing cost of health care for working people.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has not yet released a formal statement but took to social media to press House Speaker Mike Johnson on health care, writing: “So, Speaker Johnson… where’s your healthcare plan?”
On the Republican side, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R–Utica) said Democrats “manufactured a crisis to damage President Trump’s America First agenda,” adding that House Republicans had pushed for a “clean” funding bill from the start.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R–Saratoga County), who recently announced a run for governor, said she voted to “end the shameful Schumer Shutdown” and accused Hochul of “cheering on the shutdown.”
“New Yorkers are already facing an affordability crisis,” Stefanik said. “They deserve a governor who can deliver results and save New York.”
The shutdown’s long-term political impact remains to be seen, but for now, federal workers and agencies across New York are preparing to resume operations.
Contributing: USA Today network
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Longest government shutdown ends. Here’s what NY leaders are saying
