Rep. Derek Schmidt statement on House vote to reopen the federal government

WASHINGTON, D.C. - (November 12, 2025) - Congressman Derek Schmidt (KS-02) tonight issued the following statement on the House's vote to reopen the federal government:

"This long, unnecessary, and harmful federal government shutdown is finally about to end. On September 19, I voted to keep our government open, and tonight-after nearly two months of wrangling in the United States Senate-I voted to reopen it so our troops, people who rely on nutrition assistance, federal employees and contractors, the flying public, and many other Kansans whose lives have been disrupted can begin returning to normal. As I have said many times, this shutdown should have never happened. I appreciate the eight Senate Democrats who finally were willing to break with their party so that much-needed government functions and services resume.

"The bill that we sent to President Trump tonight will not only temporarily fund the government through January, but also funds key programs for Kansas for the entire 2026 fiscal year. That includes fully funding veterans' services, farm programs and nutrition assistance that now have full-year certainty and stability. I am particularly pleased that we were able to increase total funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs by $38 billion over last year's funding level.

"I am hopeful Congress will now use the next two months to proceed under the regular order of finalizing full-year funding for the remaining government agencies and programs. No more hostage-taking, no more demands for backroom deals. Just line-by-line scrutiny of the federal budget and a continued focus on restraining the unsustainable spending growth that has put us $38 trillion in debt and fueled the out-of-control inflation of the past four years. The American people deserve far better than these past two months."

The funding bill, H.R. 5371, passed the House 222-209 tonight, after passing the Senate 60-40 on Monday. Congressman Schmidt voted for it. President Trump has indicated he will sign the bill as soon as it reaches his desk.