Government shutdown updates: Trump signs government funding bill

Just hours before the House is set to vote on the final passage of the government funding package, House Democrats said they wouldn't support Republican efforts to "gut" health care for the American people.

The vote, expected to happen later Wednesday, may see some Democratic support, however. On Monday, eight Senate Democrats voted to advance the government funding package.

"No matter what happens on the floor later on today … our promise to you remains the same. House Democrats will continue to fight to make your life more affordable. House Democrats will continue the fight to address the Republican health care crisis, and House Democrats will fight to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. This fight is not over. We're just getting started," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.

A number of first-term Congress members took the podium after Jeffries, trumpeting their opposition to the government funding package.

Rep. Sarah McBride, a Delaware Democrat, rebranded the rollbacks on Affordable Care Act subsidies "Trumpcare" -- a play on the ACA's nickname "Obamacare."

Rep. Shomari Figures, an Alabama Democrat, said the over 43-day shutdown was "worth it" in order to fight for healthcare.

"And if you ask us if the shutdown was worth it, I say, hell yes, it was worth it, because fighting to maintain health care for American people," Figures said.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries formally filed a discharge petition on Wednesday to force a vote in the House on extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies for three-years. The petition -- a procedural maneuver to bypass House GOP leadership -- would require 218 signatures to trigger a vote in the House. Several Republicans would need to back the effort for it to be successful.

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill to extend the ACA tax credits for one year but it’s unlikely that Republicans would support a three-year extension.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has not committed to holding a vote in the House on extending the ACA subsidies.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

The American Federation of Government Employees, the nation's largest union representing federal employees, wrote in a letter on Wednesday that U.S. Representatives should vote in favor of the Senate-passed bill that would end the government shutdown.

AFGE Legislative Director Daniel Horowitz wrote in the letter that the shutdown has forced many federal employees "to work without pay or stay home from the jobs they love. Each day of inaction weakens vital public services and delays benefits millions of Americans rely on… Passing this bill will reopen the government and allow federal employees to return to the work of serving the American people. It will ensure safety and security for our vital transportation systems."

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim

House Speaker Mike Johnson, speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday morning, said the "national nightmare" of the shutdown will end Wednesday night.

Johnson issued an apology to Americans who are dealing with flight delays, food insecurity and those who've missed paychecks as a result of the weekslong impasse -- for which he blamed Democrats. "They have a lot to answer for," he said of congressional Democrats.

"And I just want to say that we're very optimistic about the vote tally tonight, and we think this is going to happen, and we're sorry that it took this long. So Republicans are going to deliver for the people," Johnson said.