Watch: The House of Representatives passes a bill to end the federal shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding cut that saw federal employees go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.

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House lawmakers returned to the nation’s capital this week after nearly eight weeks, where Republicans used their slim majority to push the bill over the finish line by a vote of 222 to 209. The Senate has already approved the measure. Trump called the bill “a very big victory.”

Democrats wanted to extend the enhanced tax credit that expires at the end of the year, which reduces the cost of health coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. They refused to approve a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said it was a separate political battle that would be held at another time. They eventually prevailed, but only after the lockdown took its toll on the country.

Read more: What’s in the Senate shutdown deal?

“We’ve been telling you for 43 days from bitter experience that a government shutdown doesn’t work,” said Rep. Tom Cole, Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “They never achieve the goal you declare. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that goal yet, and you never will.”

The shutdown amplified stark partisan divisions within Congress, and that division was reflected as lawmakers debated the measure on the House floor.

Republicans said Democrats sought to exploit the pain caused by the shutdown to achieve victory in a political dispute.

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“Stop forcing suffering,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Los Angeles. “Let’s open the government. Let’s get back to the work of the American people.”

Democrats raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year, most of which they say would benefit the wealthy, but the bill before the House on Wednesday “leaves families swinging in the wind with no guarantee there will ever be a vote to extend tax breaks to help ordinary people pay for their health care,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said that Democrats will not give up even if the elections do not go their way.

“This fight is far from over,” Jeffries said. “We’re just getting started.”

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The House has not been in legislative session since Sept. 19, when it passed a short-term measure to keep the government open when the new budget year begins in October. House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home after that vote and put the onus on the Senate to act, saying House Republicans had done their job.

Johnson said that Democrats’ opposition to the spending bill was pointless, adding, “It was wrong, and it was cruel.”

“They knew it would cause pain, and they did it anyway,” Johnson said.

Settlement to finalize closing

The legislation included the approval of eight senators who defected from Democrats after reaching the conclusion that Republicans would not acquiesce in using government funding to issue a bill to extend health care tax credits. Meanwhile, the toll of the lockdown was increasing day by day.

This compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of government funding until January 30. Republicans have promised a vote by mid-December to extend health care subsidies, but there is no guarantee of success.

He watches: Breaking down the government’s reopening deal and what comes next

“We’ve reached a point where I think a number of us believe the shutdown has been very effective in raising concerns about health care,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. The promise of a future vote “gives us an opportunity to continue to address this matter in the future.”

The legislation includes reversing the firings of federal employees by the Trump administration since the shutdown began. It also protects federal workers from further layoffs during January and ensures they will receive their wages once the shutdown ends. The Agriculture Department’s bill means people who rely on key food assistance programs will have those benefits funded without the threat of being cut off during the rest of the budget year.

The package includes $203.5 million to enhance security for lawmakers and an additional $28 million for security for Supreme Court justices.

Read more: What to know about the state of SNAP food aid as a vote to end the shutdown approaches

Democrats are also seizing on language that would give senators the opportunity to sue when a federal agency or employee searches their electronic records without notifying them, allowing potential damages of up to $500,000 for each violation. Democrats called for the repeal of this clause.

The language appears intended to help Republican senators obtain damages if the FBI analyzes their phone records as part of an investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. These rulings also drew criticism from Republicans. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., said he has already introduced repeal legislation that he hopes will be voted on quickly.

However, the biggest point of contention has been the fate of the expiring enhanced tax credit that makes health insurance more affordable through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces.

Read more: 8 Democrats voted with Republicans on the closure deal. Here’s what they had to say about why

“It’s a subsidy on top of a subsidy. Our friends added it during the coronavirus,” Cole said. “The coronavirus is over. They have set a firm date when the support will run out. They chose history.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the enhanced tax credit is intended to give more people access to health care, but no Republicans voted for it.

“All they’ve done is try to block access to health care in our country,” Pelosi said. “The country is catching up with them.”

He watches: “We needed to change the equation,” says Senator Kaine on his vote to end the shutdown.

Most Democrats describe the passage of the spending bill this week as a mistake. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who received blowback from his party in March when he voted to keep the government open, said the bill “fails to do anything substantive to fix America’s health care crisis.”

Without the enhanced tax credit, insurance premiums on average would more than double for millions of Americans. The Congressional Budget Office predicted that more than two million people will lose health insurance coverage completely next year.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats, said abandoning the fight was a “terrible mistake.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., agreed, saying voters who overwhelmingly backed Democrats in last week’s election were urging them to “stand strong.”

Discussing future health care

It is unclear whether the two sides will find any common ground on health care before the December vote in the Senate. Johnson said he would not commit to raising the matter in his council.

Some Republicans have said they are open to extending COVID-era tax breaks as insurance premiums rise for millions of people, but they also want new restrictions on who can get the benefits. Some argue that tax dollars allocated to plans should be directed through individuals rather than going directly to insurance companies.

Read more: The shutdown deal does not extend health benefits that expire. What happens to them now?

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Monday she supports extending the tax credits with changes, such as new income caps. Some Democrats have indicated they might be open to the idea.

House Democrats expressed great doubt that the Senate’s efforts would lead to a breakthrough.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Republicans have wanted to repeal health in general for the past 15 years. “This is where they’re trying to go,” she said.

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.