(Photo courtesy of Jacob Levin) “North Bridge Visitor Center in Concord”
Benjamin Heffner
Connector Editor
After 43 days, on Nov. 12, President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill from both chambers of Congress, officially ending the longest government shutdown in American history.
The bill was voted 60-40 in the Senate and 222-209 in the House.
Following his signing of the bill, President Trump largely blamed the shutdown on Democrats, despite public opinion polls showing most Americans blaming Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress.
Trump said, “I just want to tell the American people, you should not forget this. When we come up to midterms and other things, don’t forget what they’ve done to our country.”
8 Democratic Senators (Catherine Cortez Masto of NV, Dick Durbin of IL, John Fetterman of PA, Maggie Hassan of NH, Angus King of ME, Jacky Rosen of NV, Jeanne Shaheen of NH, and Tim Kaine of VA), and 6 Representatives (Henry Cuellar of TX-28, Don Davis of NC-01, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of WA-03, Jared Golden of ME-02, Adam Gray of CA-13, and Thomas Suozzi of NY-03) voted with every Republican on the bill, which will keep the government funded through January 30.
In addition, the bill reverses federal layoffs and includes funding for military construction, the Department of Veteran Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and the FDA.
While most government services, such as SNAP benefits, have resumed immediately, some impacts are expected to linger on for several weeks, such as air travel disruptions and national parks trying to make up lost revenue, which could pose issues as Americans prepare for the upcoming holiday season.
Former FAA administrator Randy Babbit told NPR, “It’s going to take a bit to unwind, and the responsibility is not going to fall completely on the air traffic control operation. A good deal of responsibility will be the carriers getting their schedules and the aircraft and personnel back in the right positions to resume normal flying.”
In Massachusetts, all 11 members of the state delegation voted against the bill.
Congresswoman Lori Trahan, who represents the 3rd Congressional District, including the city of Lowell, said, “Democrats will continue holding Republicans accountable for breaking their promise to lower costs and will keep fighting to protect Americans’ health care, defend SNAP benefits, and make life more affordable for the people we represent.”
Senator Ed Markey said, “To all the Senate Republicans inclined to oppose a simple one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits when the vote is held in December, you do so at your political peril. The American people will remember your vote at the ballot box.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren said, “While Trump and Republicans inflict more pain on people, Democrats’ most important job is to fight back. We will keep fighting to fix our broken health care system and lower costs for working people, but a vote for this legislation is a mistake.”
UMass Lowell students agreed that the shutdown needed to end, but that Democrats caved into the pressure set by Trump and the Republicans.
Sophomore Matt Kelly, a political science major, said, “I think it’s spineless. When we were finally applying pressure to be transparent with the American public and then we turn around and decide not to fight for healthcare subsidies, we decide to virtue signal.”
