President Donald Trump signed a bill ending the longest government shutdown in United States history on Nov. 12 at 10:32 p.m. EST. The bill was signed by Trump after a 222-209 vote in the House of Representatives and a 60-40 vote in the Senate passed the bill, with six Democrats in the House and eight in the Senate voting with the Republican majority. The shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, lasted 43 days after Democrats and Republicans failed to pass a new funding bill.
The agreement does not explicitly state Democrats’ demand for a guaranteed extension of Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year and benefit around 24 million Americans. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Departments of Agriculture, Congress and Veterans Affairs have been funded through Sept. 26, 2026. Thousands of federal workers will be compensated for lost income.
Airport travelers may continue to experience delays and cancellations due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. On Nov. 12, the Federal Aviation Administration froze flight reductions at the 6% level.
Sophomore Truman Hill said that while he appreciates the shutdown being over, he believes it was poorly managed and ultimately ineffective.
“I think it’s good [that] the government’s up and running again. I was particularly concerned about SNAP and other food benefits programs [and], of course, air travel and commerce disruptions and all that,” Hill said. “To be frank, I don’t think the shutdown was very effectively managed at all. I don’t really feel like anyone got anything out of it. It was just kind of a political stunt that didn’t seem to go anywhere and didn’t seem to benefit anyone.”
Sophomore David Xiao said he was grateful the shutdown ended.
“Thank God it is finally over. It’s been rough. There’s definitely been a lot of debate [about the shutdown], but honestly, I’m glad that people will finally start getting paid again and [we will], you know, finally get our [air] traffic control back,” Xiao said.
Sophomore Matthew Drasnin expressed concern about the deal reached between Democrats and Republicans.
“I think it’s good the government is now open, but I’m a bit concerned about the future of deliberation between the two parties, especially considering the lack of compromise that was reached with the shutdown; there wasn’t really a middle ground reached,” Drasnin said. “It was more so just going with the original plan from 40 days ago, and there weren’t many changes made to that.”
In a message to The Hustler, junior Alícia Isasi, editor-in-chief of Vanderbilt Political Review, said she was concerned about how government shutdowns can be used as a political tool.
“Regardless of which party or policy dispute triggers a government shutdown, it is concerning that the functioning of our government can be held hostage by partisan disagreements in Washington,” Isasi said. “Shutdowns, especially of this length, harm our economy, hundreds of thousands of workers and government beneficiaries. Using a shutdown as a tool of coercion should never be acceptable. It reflects a failure of responsibility by our elected leaders and the growing dysfunction and political division within Congress.”
Junior Gabriel Chichka said he was disappointed with Sen. Chuck Schumer’s leadership in the Democratic Party.
“I think that it was long overdue. I know that Chuck Schumer should have done more action on his part, but he didn’t, so five Democrats without the stature that he has had to get involved, which is kind of silly,” Chichka said. “I think it shows how much he’s willing to concede to the Republican Party and how much most Democratic brass is willing to concede to the Republicans for no reason other than that they just either don’t have the mettle or they don’t care that much.”
Vanderbilt College Republicans and Vanderbilt College Democrats did not immediately respond to The Hustler’s request for comment.
