President Donald Trump signed a temporary budget bill, ending the longest shutdown in US history, which lasted more than 40 days. Federal agencies were paralyzed by the political standoff between Republicans and Democrats, RBK reports.

The crisis was sparked by Democrats' refusal to approve the budget without guarantees to extend Obamacare subsidies, which expire at the end of 2025. Passing a temporary budget resolution in the Senate failed due to a lack of votes—60 were needed, while the Republicans had only 53.

A breakthrough came when a group of moderate Democrats and one independent senator sponsored the bill. On November 12, the House of Representatives passed it, and the president subsequently signed it into law.

The law provides funding until January 30, 2026, and guarantees back pay for nearly 700 thousand government employees furloughed. Many of them, including air traffic controllers and police officers, were forced to work without pay. The mass absence of air traffic controllers led to the cancellation of thousands of flights, and the food assistance program for 42 million Americans was disrupted.

The Obamacare extension remains unresolved. Republicans have merely promised to hold a separate vote but have offered no firm guarantees. Congress is expected to pass a full federal budget in the next two and a half months.