The longest shutdown in American history has ended. After a 43-day shutdown, the US government reopens: Donald Trump has signed an act approved by Congress to end the paralysis and resume regular operations. “This must never happen again,” Trump said, thanking Democrats – eight in the Senate and six in the House – who voted in favor of Republicans.
After the Senate gave the green light to eight Democrats who broke with the party, the House approved the measure with 222 votes in favor and 209 votes against. The policy funds the government through Jan. 30 and does not include an extension of Obamacare subsidies, which were at the center of the conflict that led to a government shutdown. Even so, the Democrats did not want to give up. The leader of the liberals in the DPR, Hakeem Jeffries, assured that the struggle would continue. “This is just getting started,” he said, predicting that Republicans will pay the price if an extension to the 2026 midterm elections is missed. Without further funding, Americans will “drive them out of office next year,” he said. Estimates show that without an extension, Obamacare premiums would increase by an average of 114%. “Obamacare has been a disaster from the start. We wanted the money used for health insurance to go directly to Americans, so they could directly buy health coverage and be their own managers,” Trump explained, accusing the Democratic Party of being responsible for the government shutdown: they “wanted a shutdown for political reasons,” he stressed.
With the government reopening, disruption to air transportation will be reduced. A return to normalcy will take time, but the chaos feared to occur over the Thanksgiving holiday will be avoided. In fact, flight controllers will gradually return to their posts, so that the Department of Transportation can remove restrictions imposed on air traffic at major US airports. Reopening the government would also allow vital food stamp payments for the 42 million Americans who depend on them.
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