House of Representatives votes to end budget shutdown

(Washington) The American House of Representatives must vote on Wednesday on a text, hailed as “a very big victory” by Donald Trump, to put an end to the longest budgetary paralysis in the history of the United States.

The powerful House Rules Committee, which examines bills before they are submitted to parliamentarians for a vote, indicated on its website that it had given the green light Tuesday evening (8 votes to 4) to examine the bill adopted by the Senate on Monday.

Thanks to this essential procedural green light, the House dominated by the Republicans will be able to vote on the text on Wednesday evening. All that would then remain is the presidential signature to lift the “shutdown”.

After more than 40 days of deadlock, eight Democratic senators finally surrendered on Monday by voting with their Republican colleagues on the draft budget text.

This bill, passed by a minimum margin of 60 votes to 40, extends the current budget until the end of January. The text, however, leaves unclear the extension of health insurance for the poorest (“Obamacare”), to the great dismay of the base and many elected Democrats.

The only concession to the opposition, the text provides for the reinstatement and payment of salaries of those who have been dismissed or furloughed since the start of the “shutdown”. Some 650,000 civil servants were put on unpaid leave and another 600,000 worked without pay.

The bill also provides funds for the food assistance program through next September.

“Our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end,” said the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson. “We are reopening our country, it should never have been closed,” rejoiced President Donald Trump.

“Surrender”

Eight opposition votes were needed to adopt the text, even if the Republicans have a majority in the Senate. And the eight who voted for it drew the wrath of many members of the Democratic camp, who denounce meager concessions and false Republican promises.

The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, complained on X of a “capitulation” and a “betrayal” towards working America.

The controversy mainly targets Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democrats in the Senate. If he voted no to the text, he is suspected by many elected officials and Democratic supporters of having pushed behind the scenes for an agreement.

The leader of the Democratic minority in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, for his part urged Republicans to keep their commitment to soon organize a vote in Congress to extend certain subsidies of “Obamacare”.

“Now we will have to see if there will be actions or if it was just words,” Hakeem Jeffries said on CNN.

“Unaffordable” health

The question of these subsidies is at the heart of the dispute which led to the “shutdown”. Without their extension, health insurance costs are expected to more than double in 2026 for 24 million Americans who use “Obamacare,” according to KFF, a think tank specializing in health issues.

“The health of people across this country is on the verge of becoming unaffordable. (…) And this in America, the richest country in the world in history! “, denounced Hakeem Jeffries during a press conference Tuesday at the Capitol.

Since 1^er October, more than a million civil servants are not paid. The payment of certain aid is seriously disrupted, as is air traffic.

Due to shortages of air traffic controllers, some are choosing to call in sick rather than work without pay. Tens of thousands of flights have been canceled in recent days in the country.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a new warning Tuesday: If the House of Representatives does not quickly adopt the new budget text, further repercussions can be expected at airports.