US Shutdown Likely to End After 41 Days...Trump Says He Will "Abide by Agreement"

Passed by the US Senate... Promise of Reinstating Government Employees
Final Approval by the House and Presidential Signature
Remaining Procedures Expected to Pass Smoothly

On the night of the 10th (local time), the United States Capitol was brightly lit. The U.S. federal government shutdown continued for the 41st day, breaking the record for the longest shutdown in history. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

An interim budget bill aimed at ending the United States federal government shutdown (shut down, temporary suspension of government work) passed the Senate on the 10th (local time). The shutdown, which had continued for 41 days, was now likely to end, pending final approval by the House of Representatives and the signature of President Donald Trump.

That night, the Senate passed the budget bill in a plenary session with 60 votes in favor and 40 against. The previous 14 votes had all failed to reach the quorum of 60 votes, but the situation changed dramatically when eight centrist Democratic senators switched to support the bill after securing a promise for a vote on extending 'Obamacare' (the Affordable Care Act, ACA) subsidies and the reinstatement of laid-off government employees.

The agreement reached with the Republican Party includes an interim budget bill valid through January 30 of the following year, as well as three bipartisan budget bills for the 2026 fiscal year. Although the extension of Obamacare subsidies, a core Democratic demand, was not included in this agreement, centrist senators received a promise from the Republicans for a Senate vote on the matter next month.

The bill is also expected to pass in the House of Representatives, where the Republicans hold a majority, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has requested that lawmakers return to Washington. The House vote is expected to take place as early as the 12th. President Trump also stated that the agreement is "very good" and that he would "follow the agreement."

However, President Trump maintained his critical stance on Obamacare, saying, "We are not going to hand out 1.5 trillion dollars to people getting out of prison, gangs, or drug dealers." He reiterated his commitment to health insurance reform and stated that he would comply with the reinstatement of government employees laid off during the shutdown, as stipulated in the agreement.

This shutdown surpassed the previous record of 35 days on the 5th, and has led to widespread flight delays and cancellations due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, while programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for low-income families have faced the risk of running out of funds.

Meanwhile, divisions within the Democratic Party were also exposed during the shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer opposed the agreement, stating that there had been no progress on the extension of Obamacare subsidies. On the 7th, he had proposed agreeing to the budget bill if the subsidies were extended for one year, but the Republican Party dismissed the proposal as a "nonstarter."