U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a short-term spending bill to reopen the federal government, officially ending the longest shutdown in American history.
The president signed the measure into law just hours after the House of Representatives approved it late Wednesday with 222 votes in favor and 209 against, two days after the Senate narrowly passed the same bill.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said that the government would now “resume normal operations” after “people were hurt so badly” during the 43-day shutdown.
Since October, many federal services had been suspended, with roughly 1.4 million federal workers either furloughed or working without pay. Food assistance programs were delayed, and air travel disruptions were reported across the country.
