BREAKING: House Passes First Vote To Reopen Government

The House of Representatives moved one step closer to ending the historic government shutdown on Wednesday, passing a crucial procedural vote by a razor-thin 216 to 213 margin.

The vote clears the way for final passage of the full funding bill later tonight, setting up a dramatic end to the longest shutdown in United States history.Lawmakers erupted into loud reactions on the floor as the tally closed, with Republicans cheering the breakthrough and Democrats expressing frustration over the terms of the agreement.

The successful vote marks the first concrete movement in weeks toward reopening federal agencies, paying furloughed workers, and restoring basic government operations. The funding bill mirrors the Senate-passed version that has been held in procedural limbo amid internal disagreements and mounting pressure from across the country.

Millions of Americans have felt the effects of the shutdown, which has halted federal services, delayed paychecks, and disrupted everything from small business loans to national parks.

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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who had insisted that the House would chart its own path during the shutdown, spent the last several days working behind the scenes to secure enough GOP support to advance the measure. Several Republicans had resisted any bill that did not include additional policy concessions, while Democrats accused Johnson of dragging out the crisis unnecessarily.

But with public pressure climbing, air travel delays mounting, and agencies warning of deep operational strain, momentum began shifting toward ending the impasse. The vote to advance the funding bill is widely seen as the turning point that lawmakers had been bracing for.

The bill will be sent directly to President Donald Trump for his signature. The White House has already signaled support for the deal, calling it a responsible step to restore stability while policymakers continue to debate long-term funding issues.

With this initial vote now in the books, the end of the shutdown appears closer than at any point in the past 42 days. The nation now awaits the last procedural hurdle as lawmakers prepare for the final vote that would fully reopen the federal government and bring the crisis to a long-awaited conclusion.

This is a developing story…