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US President Donald Trump signed into law the funding package to reopen the federal government, officially ending the longest shutdown in American history, which lasted for a record 43 days.
Speaking from the Oval Office during the signing ceremony on Wednesday (local time), President Trump accused the Democrats of causing the prolonged impasse terming it an attempt to "extort American taxpayers". "For the past 43 days, Democrats in Congress shut down the government of the United States in an attempt to extort American taxpayers for hundreds of billions of dollars for illegal aliens. Today, we're sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion," Trump said. This came moments after the US House of Representatives approved the funding package, following weeks of bitter political deadlock over an Obamacare-related programme opposed by Republicans. The bill was earlier passed by the US Senate this week. The House of Representatives later passed the funding bill by a vote of 222 to 209 today, with nearly all Republicans and a handful of Democrats voting in favour. During the signing ceremony, the President stated that the shutdown had "inflicted massive harm" on public services and the lives of millions of Americans. He noted that over 20,000 flights were "cancelled or delayed" due to the shutdown, with one million government workers missing their pay cheques and food stamp benefits cut off for "millions and millions of Americans in need". The newly signed measure--H.R. 5371--passed by both chambers of Congress and sent to the President's desk, brings an end to the over six-week budget stalemate between the White House and congressional Democrats. "With my signature, the federal government will now resume normal operations," Trump said, adding that his administration would continue working with Congress to "lower the cost of living, restore public safety, and make America affordable again for all Americans." The legislation, officially titled the Senate Amendment to HR 5371, includes a clean continuing resolution (CR) funding most of the federal government through January 30, 2026, while providing full-year appropriations for key sectors such as agriculture, rural development, the Food and Drug Administration, military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch, as per a statement by the Executive Office of Management and Budget of The President. As per the statement, the said bill ensures immediate resumption of government operations, prompt payment for federal employees who had been working without pay -- including air traffic controllers -- and restores funding for critical programmes that had been disrupted. According to the Administration's statement, the package is a "fiscally responsible product" that supports veterans, farmers, and rural communities without including any of the "partisan, poison pill provisions demanded by the Democrats leading up to the shutdown." Trump during the ceremony also called for the termination of the use of the filibuster, which is a US Senate tradition of unlimited debate, a loosely defined term for action designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question. With the signing, the US government will immediately resume normal operations, marking the conclusion of one of the most divisive and longest shutdowns in the country's history. (ANI)
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