Trump Signs Bill to End Shutdown, Won’t Fund Abortions Under Obamacare

President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday night to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, providing relief to furloughed federal workers and restoring essential services after 43 days of disruption.

Meanwhile, pro-life advocates hailed the measure for blocking Democratic efforts to extend taxpayer funding for abortions through Obamacare.

The bipartisan spending package, which funds the government through January 30, combines three full-year spending bills with a short-term continuing resolution. It ensures back pay for affected employees, including air traffic controllers and Capitol Police, and addresses economic losses estimated in the billions from halted federal operations, disrupted air travel and limited access to food aid and healthcare services

HELP LIFENEWS SAVE BABIES FROM ABORTION! Please help LifeNews.com with a donation!

“I just want to tell you the country has never been in better shape,” Trump said. “We went through this short-term disaster with the Democrats because they thought it would be good politically. And it’s an honor now to sign this incredible bill and get our country working again.”

The bill’s passage marked a victory for pro-life groups, who had lobbied intensely against provisions that would renew Obamacare premium tax credits set to expire at year’s end. Those subsidies represent the largest departure from the Hyde Amendment — a longstanding federal policy barring taxpayer dollars from directly funding most abortions — since the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

The Senate got the compromise measure through, without the Obamacare abortion funding, because Republicans agreed to have a stand-alone vote on Obamacare subsidies. However, it is expected that the vote will fail because Democrats don’t have 60 votes necessary to pass the Obamacare funding with taxpayer dollars for abortions.

SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser praised Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and other Republican leaders for holding the line.

“Thank you, Leader Thune and Senate Republicans, for firmly rejecting Democrat demands to force taxpayers to fund abortions through Obamacare as the price for their votes to reopen the government,” Dannenfelser said. “For more than a month, Democrats kept the government shut down over Obamacare — the single largest departure from the Hyde Amendment and expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. When government subsidizes abortion, more unborn Americans lose their lives and more women suffer.”

The Senate approved the compromise Monday on a 60-40 vote, with eight Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine joining all 52 Republicans to break the impasse.

Among the Democrats were Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Dick Durbin of Illinois, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Jackie Rosen of Nevada and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

The measure reached Trump’s desk after the House approved it 222-209 along largely partisan lines, with two Republicans and six Democrats crossing over.

Democrats had demanded the Obamacare extension as their top priority, but Thune secured their support by pledging a December vote on the subsidies bill — a measure pro-life advocates expect to fail in the face of the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has offered no such commitment, signaling further resistance in the lower chamber and making it even more likely that Obamacare will not have abortion funding.

“As this bill moves to the House, we urge representatives to stand as firmly against pro-abortion Democrat demands as their colleagues in the Senate,” Dannenfelser added. “This is what the pro-life base expects, and SBA Pro-Life America will score against any vote to extend Obamacare subsidies that sidesteps Hyde.”

House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats for the chaos.

“The damage caused by the Democrats with this reckless government shutdown cannot be forgotten,” Leavitt said. “It is entirely the fault of the Democrat party.”