Longest government shutdown in U.S. history could end Wednesday night

The end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history is finally in sight, with the House of Representatives set to vote on a federal funding bill later Wednesday evening.

House lawmakers are expected to take a procedural vote at 5 p.m. on whether to allow debate on the measure. If the bill survives, a final vote is expected around 7 p.m.

The government was shut down for 43 days as Democrats and Republicans heatedly debated the merits of the GOP’s original federal funding bill, a short-term extension of fiscal 2025 spending levels until November 21.

The vast majority of Democrats are still opposed to the legislation, including Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives, but Republican lawmakers from several ideologically diverse factions have expressed confidence in a nearly unified Republican vote.

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, accompanied by President Donald Trump, speaks to the media as they leave a House Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, May 20, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

House Freedom Policy Caucus Chairman Chip Roy, R-Texas, said he hasn’t heard any dissent on the bill from his group of fiscal hawks.

“I’m not going to speak for everyone, but I think there’s general support. So, you know, I’m not aware of any significant opposition,” he told reporters Tuesday evening.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said, “Nothing is ever easy here. But look, I haven’t noticed any dissent…I think the votes will be there on our side.

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But with a razor-thin majority, House Republican leaders can only afford to lose a maximum of two Republican votes to pass the bill without counting on Democrats.

“I’m very hopeful,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital when asked if Republicans have the votes to pass the bill. “I think only a few Democrats are coming to their senses. It should be a lot more.”

Meanwhile, the effects of the lockdown on the country have worsened day by day.

Many of the thousands of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who have had to work without pay have been forced to take second jobs, causing nationwide flight delays and cancellations due to staffing shortages at the nation’s busiest airports. Millions of Americans who rely on federal benefits were also left in limbo as funding for essential government programs was set to dry up.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, left, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Nov. 5, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

At the heart of the issue was Democratic leaders’ refusal to support any funding bill that would not also extend the boosted COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Democrats said it was their best hope to prevent rising health care prices for Americans across the United States.

Republicans agreed to discuss reforming what they saw as a broken health care system, but they refused to tie any partisan priorities to federal funding.

The original bill passed the House on September 19, but stalled in the Senate for weeks, when Democrats rejected it more than a dozen times.

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However, after weeks of stalemate and time running out on the bill on November 21, a new compromise emerged that gained the support of eight Democratic senators to see it through.

The new legislation would extend federal funding levels for fiscal year 2025 until Jan. 30, to give negotiators more time to reach a longer-term deal for fiscal year 2026.

It would also allow lawmakers to make progress on this mission, advancing legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and Military Construction; and the legislative power.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer walk to speak to members of the media following a meeting at the White House in Washington on September 29, 2025. (Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs carried out by the Trump administration in October, with workers paid for the time they were furloughed.

A side deal in the Senate also guaranteed Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending Obamacare’s enhanced subsidies. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., however, made no such promise on the House floor.

If passed Wednesday evening, the legislation would be sent to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.

Asked about the bill on Tuesday, a White House official told Fox News Digital: “President Trump has wanted the government to reopen since the first day the Democrats shut it down. The Senate’s action is a positive development, and we look forward to seeing it move forward. »