43 Day After: Longest Shutdown in US History ends as Trump signs bill, says it's a Great Day International

US President Donald Trump has signed a bill ending the longest government shutdown in the US history, describing the moment as a great day, the BBC has reported.

This came shortly after the House, the lower chamber of the US Congress, passed the bill in a 222 to 209 vote, with six Democrats joining the Republicans to vote yes

The report says it’s been 43 days since the shutdown began. Thousands of federal employees have been working without pay, furloughed, or laid off. Federal programs, agencies and departments have stalled without funding.

On Monday, the US Senate passed a bill to end the shutdown and fund the government – today that bill came to the House of Representatives for approval. Trump gave final approval and signed the bill in the Oval Office.

With the end of the shutdown, Congress will get back to its regularly scheduled programming.

Democrats, licking their wounds after this battle, may be hankering for another chance to fight – especially before the midterm elections next year.

The issue they fought over – healthcare subsidies – could become a pressing concern for tens of millions of Americans who will see their insurance costs double or triple at the end of the year. Republicans ignoring such voter pain at their own political peril.

The report added that, that isn’t the only issue facing Trump and the Republicans. A day that was supposed to be about the government re-opening was spent dwelling on the latest revelations surrounding deceased sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

First members of the House Oversight Committee released a tranche of new documents, then Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva was sworn in to her congressional seat and became the final signature needed on a petition that will force the House of Representatives to hold a vote ordering the Justice Department to release all its files in the Epstein case.

It was enough to prompt Trump to complain, on his Truth Social website, that his government-funding success was being eclipsed.

“The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects,” he wrote.

It was all a very clear reminder that the best-laid plans and political strategies can be derailed in a flash.