政府关门在创纪录的43天后结束，总统特朗普于11月12日签署了一项临时支出法案。民主党人在11月4日的新泽西和弗吉尼亚选举中表现优于预期，获得了动能，但七名民主党参议员加上一名与其同盟的独立人士倒向共和党并通过了该短期法案。该临时法案将政府维持开放至1月30日，要求重新雇用停职工人，并保证他们在停摆期间获得补发工资。

该法案未能延长年底到期的医疗税收抵免；参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩承诺下月投票，但众院反对使其通过可能性低。自1990年代中期以来，停摆变得更长，美国是唯一如此频繁关门的西方民主国家；最初出于要求行动的抗议演变成了一个长期政治赌博，政策收获有限。

经济痛苦改变了算盘：机场被要求削减航班，导致感恩节前的延误恶化；政府曾试图削减为超过4000万人提供援助的补充营养援助计划（SNAP）的资金。政府使用了预算手段——军队继续领薪，而对民主党执政的城市、辖区和州的数十亿美元资助被切断。民调大多将僵局归咎于共和党；八名倒戈参议员面临的政治风险较低（明年无人面临改选，两人将退休）。内部的愤怒威胁到像查克·舒默这样的党内领导人，尽管他仍保有大多数党团的支持。

The government shutdown ended after a record 43 days when President Trump signed a stopgap spending bill on November 12. Democrats had momentum after stronger-than-expected November 4 results in New Jersey and Virginia, but seven Democratic senators plus one independent broke ranks to join Republicans and pass the short-term bill. The stopgap keeps the government open until January 30, requires rehiring of furloughed workers, and guarantees back pay for the shutdown period.

The bill does not extend health-care tax credits that expire at year-end; Senate majority leader John Thune promised a vote next month but House opposition makes passage unlikely. Shutdowns have grown longer since the mid-1990s and the US is the only Western democracy to close government so frequently; what began as a demand-driven protest became a prolonged political gamble with limited policy gains.

Economic pain shifted calculations: airports faced flight cuts and worsening Thanksgiving delays; the administration targeted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), which serves over 40 million people. The administration used budget maneuvers—military pay continued while billions to Democrat-run localities were cut. Polls mostly blamed Republicans for the deadlock; the eight breakaway senators faced low political risk (none up for re-election next year, two retiring). Internal Democratic anger threatens leaders like Chuck Schumer even as he retains most of his caucus.