The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is over, at least for now.
President Donald Trump announced Friday afternoon that a deal had been reached to temporarily reopen the US government and end the partial shutdown that has lasted 35 days. The remarks came during a media conference at the Rose Garden of the White House.
NBC reported that the stop-gap agreement will keep the government functioning through at least February 15, and allow 400,000 government employees forced to work without pay to receive full back pay. An additional 400,000 workers were laid off or furloughed and will also receive back pay.
The government shutdown prompted animosity between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats, who now control the House of Representatives, with the main sticking point being $5.7 billion US in funding for a border wall on the U.S. southern border. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had postponed Trump's State of the Union address, scheduled for Tuesday, over security concerns caused by the shutdown. The president responded, according to NBC, by cancelling an international trip Pelosi had planned.
Talks will continue between the administration and Democrats in Congress with what the president hopes will include the funding for the wall. Trump had even threatened to declare a national emergency if the wall was not built and may still do so after February 15, something the president alluded to in his remarks Friday.
"As everyone knows I have a very powerful alternative, but I didn't want to use it at this time. Hopefully, it will be unnecessary," said Trump, before thanking the federal employees affected by the shutdown.
The shutdown resulted in many federal attractions and national parks to be closed indefinitely, long lines at airport security checkpoints, and staff shortages at US airports, including one at LaGuardia Airport in New York Friday morning.
