U.S. Ends Longest Shutdown After Nearly 6 Weeks

The U.S. government ended its longest shutdown in history late Wednesday night, reopening federal operations after nearly six weeks of stalemate that furloughed more than 1.4 million employees and disrupted services nationwide. The shutdown, which began on October 1, stemmed from partisan disagreements over a spending bill, with Democrats demanding an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year's end, while Republicans pushed forward without those provisions.

The resolution came after a group of eight Senate Democrats, including independents who caucus with the party, joined Republicans to advance the funding measure in the upper chamber earlier this week. This broke a Democratic filibuster, allowing the Republican-controlled House to pass the bill later that evening. The legislation provides funding through the end of January, restores pay for affected federal workers retroactively, reverses layoffs initiated during the shutdown, and extends Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits through fiscal year 2026. Notably absent was any extension of the enhanced ACA tax credits, which Democrats argued were essential to prevent rising healthcare premiums...