President Donald Trump late Wednesday signed a long-delayed funding bill to end the longest government shutdown in American history, closing a 41-day standoff that had halted paychecks, crippled federal services, and snarled air travel nationwide.

Flanked by Republican lawmakers and members of his Cabinet, Trump cast the moment as a victory for his party and sharply criticized Democrats for prolonging the impasse.

“You should not forget this,” Trump said, urging voters to punish Democrats in next year’s midterm elections. “Don’t forget what they’ve done to our country.”

House Passes Bill After Weeks of Deadlock

The signing came hours after the House approved the funding package in a 222–209, mostly party-line vote. The Senate had passed the measure earlier in the week.

At the heart of the gridlock was a Democratic demand to extend an enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credit set to expire at year’s end. Democrats argued that refusing to include the subsidy would raise health costs for millions of Americans. Republicans countered that the fight over health care should be handled separately and insisted the government must reopen immediately.

Rep. Tom Cole, Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee, chastised Democrats, saying government shutdowns “never achieve the objective you announce.”

Bitter Floor Debate Caps a Grueling Shutdown

The House debate preceding the vote showcased the mounting anger on both sides.

Republicans accused Democrats of weaponizing public hardship to win a policy fight.

“They knew it would cause pain — and they did it anyway,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Democrats fired back, blaming Republicans for enacting tax cuts earlier in the year that they said benefited the wealthy while refusing to guarantee help for families facing rising health-care costs.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the bill “leaves families twisting in the wind.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed the party would keep fighting for ACA subsidies: “This fight is not over. We’re just getting started.”

A Shutdown Months in the Making

The House had not been in session since Sept. 19, when it approved a stopgap bill intended to avoid a shutdown — only for negotiations to collapse over health-care disagreements. Johnson later dismissed lawmakers, shifting responsibility to the Senate.

The shutdown’s impact had grown increasingly severe in recent days: delayed SNAP benefits, widespread air travel disruptions, furloughs, and hundreds of thousands of federal employees working without pay.

With Trump’s signature, the government will reopen once the House and Senate formally transmit the bill for execution. Federal workers will receive back pay, and critical services are expected to resume within days.

But the political fallout — and the fight over health-care subsidies — is far from over.