The longest government shutdown in the American history that left around 1.4 million federal workers without pay checks finally ended on Wednesday night after a whopping 43 days. President Donald Trump signed a funding bill that ends the shutdown by giving money to keep federal offices open by paying the 1.4 million workers, restoring full food aid for 42 million families, and continuing veterans’ clinics and other key programs through next fall.
It wasn’t an easy win—the House of Representatives passed the measure by just 222 to 209 votes—but within hours of Trump’s signature, American federal offices were back in business.
The spending bill isn’t a permanent fix—it just keeps the lights on until January 30, giving Congress some breathing room to figure out a real 2026 budget. Trump didn’t try to spin the situation, straight-up acknowledging that “people were hurt so badly” during the mess.
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Healthcare Subsidies Started the Whole Thing
So what caused the 43-day nightmare? Healthcare subsidies. Republicans wanted to cut the Covid pandemic-era federal help for certain insurance plans, but Democrats did not agree. The Congressional Budget Office wasn’t subtle about what scrapping these subsidies would mean: four million Americans losing coverage while their premiums shot through the roof.
Things got ugly really fast. When they couldn’t agree, Congress missed the deadline to pass a new funding bill. Without the money, the government had to halt most operations on September 30.
Crypto Industry Finally Gets Back to Work
The clearance of the spending bill comes as a relief for many, including the cryptocurrency sector. The Treasury Department will now resume its analysis of the GENIUS Act, a bill that could define the future of stablecoin regulation in America. Ironically, the end of the standoff failed to ignite a crypto rally. Bitcoin prices held steady, unlike past surges that have followed such news.
All eyes are now on January 30, when the new funding bill expires, setting the stage for a major test of Washington’s ability to govern. President Trump has floated ideas for redirecting Affordable Care Act subsidies directly to consumers as a potential fix for the nation’s healthcare woes, but the political atmosphere remains bitterly divided.
The government shutdown did more than halt services—it hammered the economy with an estimated $300–$600 billion in losses and, more critically, deepened the public’s conviction that the leaders in Washington can no longer effectively do their jobs of running America.
