The government shutdown is officially over after President Donald Trump signed a stop-gap government funding bill. The bill was signed Monday night after Democrats made a deal on legislation with the Republican Senate.
Trump did not appear in front of reporters, but instead, Sarah Huckabee Sanders read his statement during the White House daily briefing.
“I am pleased that Democrats in Congress have come to their senses,” Trump’s statement said.
The new bill will fund the government through February 8. After the legislation was voted in the Senate, the House passed the bill and sent it to Trump to sign it.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised Democrats that he will hold a debate on a bill which will extend protections for those affected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
According to The Hill, a number of Democrats trying to get their resume ready for the 2020 presidential elections voted against the deal. Many Democrats expressed their disappointment in the deal that Chuck Schumer managed to get with McConnell.
“It’s official: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is the worst negotiator in Washington – even worse than Trump,” stated Murshed Zaheed, political director at Credo.
The new legislation also funds the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years. CHIP expired in September and has been on hold since.
After the shutdown on Friday, the White House and federal agencies spent the weekend mapping out how to proceed. Some departments revived shutdown plans from the Obama years. The administration wanted as little disruption as possible. For instance, mail continued to be delivered; airport control towers were staffed, and the Interior Department kept national parks open.
Both the House and Senate had emergency sessions all over the weekend attempting to find a solution, but the final resolution was presented Monday morning.
The last shutdown occurred in 2013, during the Obama era, and lasted for 16 days.
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