Trump Declares ‘Big Victory’ as Senate Vote Paves Way to End Historic Shutdown

US President Donald Trump is celebrating what he called a “big victory” after the Senate approved a funding bill to end the longest government shutdown in American history, without giving ground to Democrats on their central demand for extended healthcare subsidies.

Speaking at a Veterans Day event on Tuesday, Trump praised Republican leaders for holding the line.

“Congratulations to you and to John and to everybody on a very big victory,” he told House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “We’re opening up our country, should have never been closed.”

The Senate passed the measure late Monday in a 60–40 vote, with eight Democrats breaking ranks to back the bill. The Republican-controlled House is expected to pass it in the coming days, clearing the way for Trump’s signature and a formal end to the shutdown, which began on October 1.

Trump’s comments suggest he sees the crisis as a political win for Republicans, who managed to push through a funding deal without agreeing to Democratic proposals to renew Affordable Care Act subsidies due to expire at year’s end.

The White House had resisted those demands, framing the subsidies as bloated “Obamacare” spending. Trump also used the shutdown to double down on other cuts, including an attempt to withhold food benefits from low-income families, a move now being challenged in court.

The shutdown, the longest in US history, left hundreds of thousands of federal employees unpaid, halted services, and disrupted air travel nationwide as staffing shortages among air traffic controllers forced mass flight cancellations.

Under US law, Congress must approve funding to keep the government open. Republicans currently control both chambers and the presidency, but their slim Senate majority has made it difficult to overcome Democratic filibusters, which require 60 votes to advance most legislation.

For weeks, Democrats had refused to budge without healthcare guarantees, arguing the subsidies keep millions of Americans insured. But with growing public pressure and gridlock fatigue, several centrist Democrats broke ranks to vote for the bill, sparking backlash from progressives within their own party.