US President Donald Trump has signed a bill ending the longest government shutdown in the country's history
It 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
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
We're ending our live coverage.
Thank you for following along with all the movement in the US Congress and the bill that has now re-opened the US government after 43 days.
We have a full story here on the US government reopening and analysis here from the BBC's North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
Image source, EPAWith 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.
And 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.
Image source, Getty ImagesA protester outside Congress on Wednesday wore a pink frog costume as he called for the Epstein files to be released
Watch: Trump signs bill to formally end longest US government shutdown
With the government reopened, some federal employees and contractors are expected to return to work as soon as Thursday morning. However, the full impact of the 43-day long closures is still expected to affect Americans for weeks.
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, 670,000 government workers were furloughed during the shutdown. Another 730,000 were required to continue working without pay. Now that the shutdown is over, they can expect to receive cheques in the coming days and those who weren't working can go back to the office.
National Parks, forests, landmarks and other properties managed by the federal government will also reopen to the public, with staff returning to their normal duties. It is unclear exactly when they will reopen, but for reference it took the Smithsonian museums four days to reopen following the last shutdown.
Snap benefits, also known as food stamps, are expected to be immediately made fully available, providing food aid to around 42 million people.
Some federal programmes will take longer to rebound.
Liheap, a heating subsidy programme used by around 6 million low income households, won’t be available for weeks, coming just as the winter months are arriving. Head Start, an early childhood education programme, also could take weeks to resume.
US airports will return to normal operations, but it could take some time. It comes after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a reduction in flights at 40 of the country's largest airports, due to air traffic controllers calling out of work rather than working without pay.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
Image source, ReutersIn the days since the Senate deadlock broke on Sunday, Trump's mood has gone from cautious optimism to celebration.
On Tuesday, he congratulated congressional Republicans and called the vote to reopen the government “a very big victory”.
“We’re opening up our country,” he said at a Veteran’s Day commemoration at Arlington Cemetery. “It should have never been closed.”
Trump, perhaps sensing the Democratic anger toward Senate Democratic leader chuck Schumer, joined the pile-on during a Fox News interview Monday night.
“He thought he could break the Republican Party, and the Republicans broke him,” Trump said of New York Democrat.
Although there were times when Trump appeared to be buckling – last week he berated Senate Republicans for refusing to scrap a parliamentary rule called the filibuster to reopen the government – he ultimately emerged from the shutdown face-off having made little in the way of substantive concessions.
While his poll numbers have declined over the last 40 days, there’s still a year before Republicans have to face voters. And, barring some kind of constitutional rewrite, Trump never has to worry about standing for election again.
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter making remarks, President Donald Trump signed a funding bill to reopen the US government and end the longest shutdown in US history.
"The country has never been in better shape," the president says just before signing the bill.
"It's a great day," Trump continues as reporters are being ushered out of the Oval Office.
The bill will bring government employees back to work, provide funds for federal agencies, programmes and departments and give back pay to hundreds of thousands of workers who have not been paid since the shutdown began on 1 October.
The shutdown has gone on for 43 days, eclipsing the previous record of 35 days - which happened during Trump's first term.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe president, while criticising Democrats over the shutdown, also told voters to remember this moment when members of Congress are up for re-election in November 2026 in the mid-term elections.
Although its still a year away, Trump is pushing for Republicans to keep control of the tightly-divided House of Representatives.
"I just want to tell the American people, you should not forget this when we come up to the midterms," he says.
Democrats, he says, "were happy for millions of Americans to suffer".
Trump says "people were hurt so badly" by the shutdown.
"Nobody's ever seen anything like this one," he said of the funding lapse.
He says that over 20,000 flights were delayed or cancelled due the shutdown, and that food benefits were cut off and federal workers were furloughed or did not receive paycheques.
Image source, Getty ImagesTrump is now speaking. He begins by saying that Democrats desire for healthcare subsidies "would have really hurt our our healthcare businesses".
He calls the shutdown "extortion", adding, "that is what it was. The Democrats tried to extort our country."
He adds that the shutdown happened "purely for political reasons".
The president is planning to sign the funding bill in the Oval Office and is set to make remarks.
You can watch by clicking Watch Live above. We'll also keep you updated here on his remarks and what happens next as the government opens back up.
The 328-page bill heading to Trump's desk extends money for most federal agencies until 30 January.
It provides funding for Snap food aid, as well as the Department of Agriculture, Congress and veterans affairs until September next year.
It guarantees that all federal workers will receive back-pay, and reverses the shutdown-related layoffs of thousands of federal workers.
But the bill also includes a number of new provisions.
It includes language that makes it illegal for federal prosecutors to search senators' phone records without notice, and allows for payouts of up to $500,000 for each violation.
It is retroactive to 2022, meaning that it will allow several Republican senators to sue after their communications were searched as part of a probe into Trump's role in the Capitol Hill riot in January 2021.
The bill also reverses the legalisation of cannabis-derived hemp, which passed in 2018 as part of a larger farming bill. Its passage allowed the creation of a multi-billion dollar industry of low dosage THC products in the US, including edibles and drinks.
But the deal does not include what Democrats most-wanted in this shutdown fight: a guaranteed extension of expiring health insurance subsidies that affect around 24 million Americans.
Instead, lawmakers agreed to hold another vote on the issue in December.
Trump will sign the congressionally passed funding bill into law, and speak to the public from the White House at 21:45ET (02:45GMT), according to press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Stay with us as we bring you further updates.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesHouse Democrats held a rally to "save healthcare" earlier on Wednesday
Senate Democrats were able to trigger the shutdown despite being a minority in Congress.
They drew a line in the sand, demanding that Republicans agree to extend health-insurance subsidies for low-income Americans that are set to expire at year-end.
But when a handful of Democrats broke ranks and voted to re-open the government on Sunday, they received next to nothing in return – a promise of a vote in the Senate on the subsidies, but no guarantees of Republican support or even a necessary vote in the House.
Since then, members of the party’s left flank have been furious.
They’ve felt like their party folded even after off-year election success earlier this month showed they had the upper hand. They fear that the shutdown sacrifices had been for nothing.
Even more mainstream Democrats, like California Governor Gavin Newsom, called the shutdown deal “pathetic” and a “surrender”.
Newsom has 2028 presidential ambitions and can be a good barometer for the mood of the party.
If he’s running for the pitchforks, it’s not a good sign for Democratic leaders.
The House is back in session for the first time in weeks, and it's been buzzing with energy all day.
Lawmakers rushed to return to Washington for tonight's vote. Take a look at some of the scenes at the Capitol today as the House got ready to vote on reopening the government.
Image source, Getty ImagesSpeaker of the House Mike Johnson has been walking the building with security and has stopped to take questions from reporters
Image source, Getty ImagesDemocratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi announced her retirement earlier this month
Image source, Getty ImagesRepublican Nancy Mace has been at the centre of conversations today around a different subject - her support of a petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files
Image source, Getty ImagesHouse Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been a vocal opponent of the bill on the table tonight
Image source, Getty ImagesSpeaker Mike Johnson, the top ranking member of the House, is speaking to reporters after his chamber voted to reopen the US federal government.
"We feel very relieved tonight," he says. "The Democrat shutdown is finally over."
Johnson, who is a Republican, blames his colleagues on the other side of the aisle for the shutdown. He says this outcome was "totally foreseeable" and shutting down the government was "utterly pointless and foolish".
But "shutdowns never yield any positive results", Johnson says.
"Millions of families went without food on their table," he says. "It was a game they played with real peoples' lives."
He said now "we've got the lights back on" and it's time to get the government reopened.
As a reminder: Democrats in the Senate rejected a spending bill that would have funded the government 14 times because they were pushing for an amendment that would protect healthcare tax credits which would lower medical insurance costs for Americans. They blamed Republicans for the shutdown. Republicans maintained that a healthcare discussion could come after the government was reopened.
Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill
I’m walking through the basement tunnel of the US Capitol. It’s filled with lawmakers returning to their offices after the vote.
Some are discussing dinner plans, others are joking with one another.
Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, nearly knocks me over not paying attention while taking a phone call.
There is relief on nearly all the faces I walk by - Democrats and Republicans alike.
It’s clear this thing is coming to an end. Some happier than others.
Thunderous applause could be heard in the House of Representatives as the bill to end the shutdown passed.
Some congressmembers could be seen hugging and shaking hands with big smiles on their faces.
Others simply left the room when the vote was called.
Watch: Moment House votes to end longest government shutdown in US history
The House has passed a spending bill that will end the government shutdown with a 222-209 vote.
In the end, six Democrats crossed the aisle to back the Republican-led measure.
Next, the bill will go to the desk of President Donald Trump, who said he plans sign it tonight. With Trump's stamp of approval, the longest government shutdown in US history will officially be over.
Ana Faguy
Reporting from Capitol Hill
Jared Golden frome Maine becomes the first Democrat to vote yes.
We were expecting this vote.
It further cements the Republicans' likely victory tonight.