Staff Reports
President Trump finally put pen to paper Wednesday night, signing the funding package that reopens the federal government and ends the longest shutdown in American history — a shutdown that ground services to a halt and punished hardworking federal employees and everyday citizens. This was not a moment for celebration of Washington’s dysfunction, but it is a moment to recognize that a president who fights for the rule of law and for order in government can deliver results when he stands firm.
The bill won passage after bruising votes in both chambers and will keep most federal agencies funded into January, buying time to finish proper appropriations rather than surrendering to last-minute chaos. Lawmakers have kicked the can down the road until January 30, but at least the paychecks and essential services that Americans rely on will start flowing again.
Let’s be clear about who pushed this shutdown: Democrats insisted on using the suffering of the country as leverage for an unrelated policy fight over expanded Obamacare tax credits, trying to extort concessions instead of negotiating in good faith. Conservatives were right to reject ransom-style politics, and Republicans made the hard choice to reopen the government without surrendering the entire policy agenda to their opponents.
The human cost was real — furloughed workers, stranded travelers, stressed veterans and strained food banks were the direct result of partisan brinkmanship. Restoring pay for federal workers, reversing chaotic layoff orders, and getting SNAP and other safety-net programs operating again was the right and necessary outcome, even as we insist on accountability for the damage done.
The House vote reflected the bitter polarization in Washington, but it also showed that a majority of lawmakers know when enough damage has been inflicted and it is time to act. While the vote lines were predictable, the practical effect is straightforward: families get relief and government services resume, but the policy fights are not over — they move to the right venue, where they belong.
President Trump called the reopening a victory for the country, and he’s right to claim credit for forcing the issue into the open and securing a deal that protects veterans, the military, and core services. Patriots should be proud that their president refused to be bullied into surrendering conservative priorities, and he now has a mandate to press for border security, fiscal discipline, and true reform.
This episode must be a lesson to every conservative: win the battle to reopen the country, but don’t trade away the war. Lawmakers must use the breathing room Congress just bought to finish real appropriations that rein in waste, defend our borders, and hold Democrats accountable for weaponizing shutdowns in the future.
