White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on November 12, 2025, that the 43-day government shutdown—the longest in U.S. history—was expected to end that evening with President Trump’s signature on a clean continuing resolution passed by House Republicans. Leavitt placed full blame for the shutdown on Democrats, citing impacts including hundreds of thousands of federal employees missing paychecks, millions losing SNAP benefits, nearly 20,000 flight delays affecting 5.2 million travelers, and potential fourth-quarter economic growth declining by two percentage points according to Congressional Budget Office estimates. The briefing was dominated by questions about newly released Epstein emails, which Leavitt dismissed as a Democratic distraction, defending Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and citing victim Virginia Giuffre’s statements that she witnessed nothing inappropriate. Leavitt also confirmed the administration is exploring legal options for $2,000 rebate checks to Americans funded by tariff revenue, defended the administration’s economic record including the “largest middle-class tax cuts in American history,” addressed questions about the BBC lawsuit over edited footage, and discussed various policy matters including healthcare negotiations, a 50-year mortgage proposal, and Trump’s recent Walter Reed medical imaging.