Record 43-day US gov’t shutdown ends
The record 43-day United States government shutdown ended Wednesday after the House of Representatives passed a funding bill through Jan. 30, 2026, and President Donald Trump signed it into law.
The shutdown had left many federal workers unpaid and air traffic disrupted, while throwing low-income households into crisis with the halt of food benefits. Key statistical agencies, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics also stopped publishing economic data.
Negative impact
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier Wednesday that even with the formal end of the shutdown, consumer price index and jobs data for October may never be released.
The shutdown stemmed from a disagreement between the Republicans and Democrats over extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, which were due to expire at the end of the year.
Democrats had said they should be extended as part of any deal to pass the spending bill, but some turned to supporting it due to the negative impact of the prolonged shutdown, clearing the way for congressional passage.
Due to the funding lapse, at least 670,000 federal employees had been furloughed and around 730,000 individuals in essential sectors, such as air traffic controllers were working without pay, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center, a US think tank.
