Senate Passes Bill to End Longest US Government Shutdown, Eyes Turn to House for Final Approval

After 42 days of political gridlock, the United States is finally edging toward reopening the government. On Monday night, the Senate voted 60–40 to pass a stopgap spending bill that would fund operations through January 30 and reinstate pay for hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers.

The measure now heads to the House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson said he hopes to approve it “as soon as Wednesday” and send it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The breakthrough follows a tense weekend of negotiations that saw seven Democrats and one Independent cross the aisle to back the bill. The package includes three-year funding for the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, the Food and Drug Administration, and military construction, but sidesteps the most divisive issue of all: healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans agreed only to hold a separate vote on the matter in December.

The pressure to act had been mounting for weeks. The shutdown, the longest in US history, has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees either furloughed or working without pay since October 1. Key government programmes, including food assistance, have stalled, while airports have descended into chaos after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a 10 percent cut in air traffic because of missing controllers.

The crisis has tested voters’ patience and exposed Washington’s dysfunction. As one weary Senate aide put it:

“People are angry, the airports are melting down, and the holidays are coming. No one wants to own this anymore.”