A Step Closer to Ending the Longest Shutdown in American History

Nov 10, 2025 by AFP

WASHINGTON, D.C — Americans for Prosperity commends Senator Thune for his leadership in rising above political theatrics and focusing on what truly matters—the needs of the American people—by helping bring an end to the historic 40-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.

Now it is key that the House moves without delay to support this latest funding resolution to reopen the federal government through the end of January. We commend both Majority Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson for their efforts to restore accountability, reject political theater, and put the needs of Americans first.

This shutdown, driven by partisan political brinkmanship, left millions of Americans in limbo. Vulnerable families relying on assistance, federal workers missing paychecks, and small businesses dependent on government services all bore the brunt of Washington’s dysfunction.

Brent Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer at Americans for Prosperity, issued the following statement:

“Senator Thune’s resolve helped break the impasse and restore essential services to the American people. His leadership stands in stark contrast to Democratic lawmakers who repeatedly blocked clean funding resolutions—voting 14 times against reopening the government, despite having supported similar measures under President Biden. Now that Democrats have supported essentially the same funding bill the House passed through the end of November, there shouldn’t be any doubt that this was purely political and never should have happened. We encourage the House to move quickly to finish the job and reopen the government for the American people.”

We should not forget that while Americans families were negatively impacted by the shutdown, Democrats publicly admitted to using the shutdown as political leverage:

Rep. Katherine Clark: “Of course there will be families that are going to suffer… it’s one of the few leverage times we have.”
Sen. Chris Coons: “Frankly, this is our only moment of leverage.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “And you re-open the government… we lose our leverage.”

Americans for Prosperity believes government should serve—not exploit—the people. Senator Thune’s actions today reaffirm that principle. We commend his efforts to restore accountability, reject political theater, and put the needs of Americans first.

As the government is a step closer to reopening, AFP will continue to advocate for bottom-up solutions, responsible governance, and policies that empower individuals—not bureaucracies.

Through broad-based grassroots outreach, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is driving long-term solutions to the country’s biggest problems. AFP activists engage friends and neighbors on key issues and encourage them to take an active role in building a culture of mutual benefit, where people succeed by helping one another. AFP recruits and unites activists in all 50 states behind a common goal of advancing policies that will help people improve their lives. For more information, visit www.AmericansForProsperity.org

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