US House passes funding bill, closer to ending partial shutdown

February 3, 2026 - 22:25

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a critical funding bill, taking a definitive step toward ending the partial government shutdown. The legislative action sends the measure to the White House, where President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law, finalizing the process to restore full operations.

The spending package addresses the lapsed appropriations that had forced several key agencies to operate with reduced staff or close entirely. Its passage concludes a period of political negotiation that left many government functions in limbo.

A significant consequence of the shutdown was the delay of numerous economic reports from agencies like the Commerce Department. This absence of official data on metrics such as retail sales and new home construction created a blind spot for economists, investors, and policymakers attempting to gauge the health of the U.S. economy during this period.

The impending resolution will allow hundreds of thousands of federal employees to return to work and will restart the regular publication of the delayed government economic statistics. The final approval from the president will formally conclude this chapter of budgetary uncertainty.