In a decisive move to end the prolonged government shutdown, President Donald Trump signed new legislation on Wednesday, effectively reopening federal operations after 43 days of closure. The shutdown, attributed to the Democrats, had left many aspects of the government in limbo.
This newly enacted continuing resolution ensures the government is funded through the end of January, while also addressing three out of the twelve necessary appropriations for the Fiscal Year 2026. This includes funding for agriculture, military construction-Veterans Affairs, and the legislative branch, extending their financial support until the end of September.
During the signing ceremony, President Trump stood alongside key figures such as House Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. Surrounded by these influential leaders and members of his cabinet, Trump criticized the Democrats for their role in the government shutdown.
“For over six weeks, Democrats in Congress chose to shut down the government, attempting to force American taxpayers to bear the cost of hundreds of billions of dollars for those who entered our country illegally,” Trump declared. His remarks underscored the administration’s stance against what he described as coercive tactics used by the opposition party.
Emphasizing a strong stance against perceived extortion, Trump added, “Today marks a stand against such pressure tactics. We will not succumb to extortion – a strategy the Democrats attempted to impose on our nation.” This statement highlighted the administration’s commitment to resisting pressure that they believe is detrimental to national interests.
Trump further criticized the Democrats for the adverse effects of the shutdown, which started on October 1, stating that their actions had caused significant disruption and damage to the country.
“Today, we’re sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion, because that’s what it was. They tried to extort–the Democrats tried to extort our country,” he added.
Trump said that Democrats “inflicted massive harm” in keeping the government closed since October 1.
“They caused 20,000 flights to be cancelled or delayed; they departed so many times so late. People were hurt so badly. Nobody’s ever seen anything like this one. This was a no-brainer, this was an easy extension, but they didn’t want to do it the easy way,” he said, adding:
They deprived more than one million government workers from their paychecks and cut off food stamp benefits for millions and millions more Americans in need. They caused tens of thousands of federal contractors and small businesses to go unpaid, and the total effect of the damage their antics caused will take weeks and probably months to really calculate accurately, including the serious harm that they did to our economy and to people and to families.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted earlier Wednesday at a press briefing that it is unlikely October’s Consumer Price Index and jobs reports will materialize due to the shutdown.
“The Democrats may have permanently damaged the federal statistical system with October CPI and jobs reports likely never being released, and all of that economic data released will be permanently impaired, leaving our policymakers at the Fed flying blind at a critical period,” she said.
