Trump signs CR to reopen the government

This week, the GOP finally got on the same page and managed to get a handful of Democrats to support its continuing resolution (CR).

Earlier in the week, the Senate passed the legislation, forwarding it to the House, which easily passed it on Wednesday night.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) then put it on Trump’s desk, and the government has finally been reopened.

It Passed

I honestly thought the vote would be a bit closer than it was, as the legislation passed 222-209.

There were six Democrats who crossed the aisle, and only two Republicans who did the same.

The Republican “No” votes came from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Gregory Steube (R-FL).

I was a little surprised to see Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) vote yes, so I will assume she was happy with the promise by Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), saying he would start an immediate negotiation on Obamacare subsidies.

Getting Dems Onboard

I think we can all be grateful that a handful of Democrats realized the shutdown was not serving a purpose because the GOP was not going to move on the subsidies as they are right now.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) was among the Democrat senators who crossed over.

She explained, “We had reached a point where, I think, a number of us believed that the shutdown had been very effective in raising the concern about health care and health insurance and the need to address that.”

The senator continued, “This gives us an opportunity to continue to address that going forward.”

On His Desk

Trump signed the bill as soon as he got it to put this in the rearview mirror and move on.

He stated, “It’s an honor now to sign this incredible bill and get our country working again.”

Johnson added, “We feel very relieved tonight.” Then he blasted Democrats for using the American people as leverage, adding, “It’s something that is very difficult to forgive.”

Now, Republicans cannot get too comfortable, as this CR only goes through January 30, 2026. That is likely how long they have to come to an agreement with Democrats on the Obamacare subsidies. If they are unable to reach an agreement by then, I fully expect the Democrats to go back to blocking the CR and holding out until they get a package they can live with. For now, however, Trump gets some breathing room.