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U.S. President Donald Trump claimed victory Tuesday over congressional Democrats as a bipartisan Senate deal moved forward to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which has left a million federal workers without paychecks and disrupted services across the nation.
Speaking at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump congratulated House Speaker Mike Johnson on what he called "a very big victory" after eight Democratic senators broke ranks Monday to support a Republican-backed funding bill.
"We're opening up our country -- it should have never been closed," Trump said during the commemorative event.
The breakthrough came as the shutdown entered its second month, threatening air travel during the holiday season and putting food assistance programs for low-income households at risk. The Senate compromise would fund federal operations through January and is expected to reach the House floor Wednesday, potentially ending the impasse by Friday.
But the agreement has exposed deep fractures within the Democratic Party. Many senior Democrats have criticized colleagues who supported the deal, arguing they should have held firm on their demand for extended health insurance subsidies—the central issue that triggered the shutdown.
The internal rift comes on the heels of Democratic victories in three state elections that observers said increased pressure on the Trump administration over cost-of-living concerns.
Trump said Monday he would comply with deal provisions requiring the rehiring of federal workers terminated during the shutdown, a key Democratic demand.
The 79-year-old president's remarks at Arlington continued a pattern of injecting partisan political messaging into traditionally nonpartisan military and commemorative settings, breaking with longstanding presidential norms.
Trump also announced plans to rename the November 11 Veterans Day holiday as "Victory Day" for World War I, with similar changes planned for the May 8 holiday commemorating World War II.
Earlier in the ceremony, the president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, wearing a dark overcoat, burgundy scarf and gloves in the late autumn weather.
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