US President Donald Trump signed a bill on Wednesday that officially ended the longest federal government shutdown in history. The bill was passed after a House vote that restored pay for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, food aid programs and air traffic control.
The Republican majority in the House of Representatives approved the package by a vote of 222 to 209, securing Trump's support despite sharp criticism from Democrats, who are angry that a six-week standoff has failed to extend federal health insurance subsidies.
Federal workers are due to return to work on Thursday after the bill was signed, but it is unclear how long it will take to fully restore government services.
"We must never allow this scenario to happen again. This is not how we run our country," Trump said at the White House during the signing ceremony.
The agreement extends government funding until January 30, leaving the United States on a path to increasing its national debt, which now exceeds USD 38 trillion.
The end of the shutdown will allow for partial stabilization of aviation operations ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and the restoration of food aid to millions of families ahead of the Christmas season. It will also resume the publication of key economic data, the absence of which has made it difficult to assess the state of the labor market and inflation.
Economists estimate that the 43-day shutdown reduced US GDP by more than 0.1% each week, although most of the losses are expected to be compensated later.
Recall that the United States of America suspended arms sales to its allies in the North Atlantic Alliance due to the shutdown, which has already become the longest in the country's history.
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