US President Donald Trump has signed a government funding bill, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without wages, stranded scores of travellers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks.

Trump’s signing on Wednesday night draws to a close the second government shutdown he’s overseen in the White House, one that magnified the partisan divisions in Washington as his administration took unprecedented unilateral actions – including cancelling projects and trying to fire federal workers – to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.

The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had already passed the measure on Monday.

Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced tax credit expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time.

“We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don’t work,” said Representative Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "They never achieve the objective that you announce. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that objective yet, and you’re not going to.”

Democrats said Republicans raced to pass tax breaks this year that they say mostly will benefit the wealthy. But the bill before the House on Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero guarantee there will ever, ever be a vote to extend tax credits to help everyday people pay for their health care,” said Democrat Representative Jim McGovern.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party would not give up on the subsidy extension even if the vote did not go their way. “This fight is not over,” he said. “We’re just getting started.”

The legislation is the result of a deal reached by eight senators who broke ranks with the Democrats after reaching the conclusion that Republicans would not bend on using a government funding to bill to extend the health care tax credits.

The compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of government funding through January 30. Republicans promised to hold a vote by mid-December to extend the healthcare subsidies, but there is no guarantee of success.

The bill includes a reversal of the firing of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began. It also protects federal workers against further layoffs through January and guarantees they are paid once the shutdown is over. The bill for the Agriculture Department means people who rely on key food assistance programs will see those benefits funded without threat of interruption through the rest of the budget year.

Democrats also decried language in the bill that would give senators the opportunity to sue when a federal agency or employee searches their electronic records without notifying them, allowing for up to US$500,000 in potential damages for each violation.

The language seems aimed at helping Republican senators pursue damages if their phone records were analysed by the FBI as part of an investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss . The provisions drew criticism from Republicans as well. Johnson said he was “very angry about it.”

The biggest point of contention, though, was the fate of the expiring enhanced tax credit that makes health insurance more affordable through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the enhanced tax credit was designed to give more people access to healthcare and no Republican voted for it. “All they have done is try to eliminate access to health care in our country. The country is catching on to them,” she said.

Without the enhanced tax credit, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans. More than two million people would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the Congressional Budget Office projected. (AP)