House passes bill to reopen federal government after 43-day shutdown

The House of Representatives approved a bill to fund the federal government and end the 43-day shutdown, passing the measure on a 222-209 vote. The bill now goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign it at 9:45 p.m. ET.

The vote took place on Wednesday and included six Democrats voting in favor and two Republicans voting against the bill. The measure follows an agreement reached in the Senate to restore government operations after weeks of stalled negotiations.

The shutdown began at midnight on September 30 when Congress failed to pass appropriations bills, leading to furloughs for an estimated 750,000 federal employees and widespread disruptions across federal agencies.

Food assistance programs, including SNAP benefits, were delayed for millions of low-income households, and nationwide air travel was affected by reduced staffing among air traffic controllers.

The Senate agreement, reported by CNN on Sunday, includes a commitment from Republicans to allow a vote by mid-December on a Democratic bill related to the Affordable Care Act, according to CNN. At least eight Senate Democrats previously signaled support for reopening the government under those terms.

Further details on the implementation of the funding measure and the timeline for restoring federal operations are expected after the president signs the bill.