US President Donald Trump claimed victory on Tuesday, November 11 over rival Democrats on the longest-ever US government shutdown, in a speech at an annual ceremony honoring Americas military veterans. Speaking at the Veterans Day ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery, Trump seized on the fact that several Democratic senators broke ranks on Monday to vote with Republicans for a compromise deal that paves the way for an end to the congressional standoff. Congratulations on a very big victory, Trump said to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson when he spotted him in the audience.Were opening up our country it should have never been closed, Trump added. The shutdown has caused significant disruption, leading to a million federal workers going unpaid, impacting air travel ahead of the holiday season, and jeopardizing food benefits for low-income households.Eight Senate Democrats backed the bipartisan bill that would fund the government through January. The legislation is now set to move to the House of Representatives on Wednesday, potentially ending the shutdown by Friday. However, the move has caused a split among Democrats, with many senior figures arguing the party should have held out for the extension of health insurance subsidies, which was a core point of contention in the shutdown battle. Trump's comments came just days after Democrats celebrated recent election victories in three states, which had intensified pressure on the administration regarding the cost of living issue. On Monday, Trump stated he would abide by the terms of the deal, including reversing the firing of federal workers during the shutdowna key demand from the Democrats. The 79-year-old Republican's remarks continued his trend of bucking historical norms by using a commemorative event for service members to deliver politically partisan messages. Trump also mentioned his plans to rename the November 11 Veterans Day holiday as Victory Day for World War I, and to do the same for May 8th in respect to World War II.
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