President Donald Trump made federal funding official this morning, signing a measure to keep the government open after a four and a half hour shutdown overnight.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul held up the bill – leading to a lapse in federal funding for a second time in the course of one month.

The government reopened on Friday morning on the promise of Trump's signature after the Senate and the House approved the bill that Paul had objected to over its $400 billion increase in government spending that adds to the trillion-dollar deficit.

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President Donald Trump made federal funding official this morning, signing a measure to keep the government open after a four and a half hour shutdown overnight

The government reopened on Friday morning on the promise of Trump's signature after the Senate and the House approved the bill that Paul had objected to over its $400 billion increase in government spending that adds to the trillion-dollar deficit

Trump chalked up the lapse to not having enough Republicans serving in the Senate in a series of tweets on Friday morning that explained why conservative lawmakers were against the spending measure

Trump signed the bill behind closed-doors and tweeted what he had to say about the debacle instead

Trump chalked up the lapse to not having enough Republicans serving in the Senate in a series of tweets on Friday morning that explained why conservative lawmakers were against the spending measure.

'Without more Republicans in Congress, we were forced to increase spending on things we do not like or want in order to finally, after many years of depletion, take care of our Military,' he said. 'Sadly, we needed some Dem votes for passage. Must elect more Republicans in 2018 Election!'

Trump said the bill that he signed behind closed-doors means the military 'will now be stronger than ever before' and the legislation 'gave them everything — and more.'

'Costs on non-military lines will never come down if we do not elect more Republicans in the 2018 Election, and beyond,' he said. 'This Bill is a BIG VICTORY for our Military, but much waste in order to get Dem votes.'

He added, 'Fortunately, DACA not included in this Bill, negotiations to start now!'

Senators voted to approve the spending bill at 1:30 am after a mandated intervening period of time between the legislation's unveiling that was set off by Paul's objection, and the House approved the bill will just before 5 am. The legislation went to President Trump next for his approval.

A signing statement from the White House hit inboxes nearly an hour after Trump said he'd inked in his approval in an 8:39 am tweet.

The federal government is reopening this morning after a four and a half hour shutdown sparked by Rand Paul. Aides are pictured carry pizzas to the offices of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell late Thursday night.

Rand Paul strolls back to his office after going rogue on the Senate floor Thursday night. He blocked passage of a spending deal over concerns the $400billion increase is too much

'I didn't come up here to be part of somebody's club. I didn't come up here to be liked,' Rand Paul told his Senate colleagues when they begged him to allow a vote with no amendments

The short lapse in government funding came after Paul held up voting in the Senate in the hopes of reversing its nearly $400 billion in spending increases.

He asked Senate leaders to allow a vote on his amendment to maintain current spending ceilings, but was rebuffed.

'I ran for office because I was very critical of President Obama's trillion-dollar deficits,' the Kentucky senator said. 'Now we have Republicans hand in hand with Democrats offering us trillion-dollar deficits. I can't in all honesty look the other way.'

Paul brushed off pleas from his fellow Republicans, who billed the budget plan as an 'emergency' measure needed for a depleted military.

'We will effectively shut down the federal government for no good reason,' said Senator John Cornyn, as his requests to move to a vote were repeatedly rejected by Paul.

Paul was unfazed.

'I didn't come up here to be part of somebody's club. I didn't come up here to be liked,' he said.

The shutdown comes less than a month after a three-day interruption in January, when Senate Democrats blocked a vote on a spending bill to demand concessions for 'Dreamers'.

The House's 240-186 vote this Friday came in the pre-dawn hours, putting to bed a federal freeze that relatively few would notice.

The breakdown came largely in the Senate, when after a day of inaction, Paul stalled a vote in protest over his party's willingness to bust the budget.

Paul walk to the Senate floor as budget negotiations continued on Thursday night

But Democrats also had their divisions and wrangling, largely with liberal upset the measure were not tied to any plans to assist the 'Dreamer' immigrants.

Most Democrats opposed the measure, following the lead of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi who tried and failed to use the moment to secure a promise for a separate vote on immigration. Up to the final minutes, it was not clear the bill would pass and many Democrats held their votes, allowing the tally to creep slowly and giving no indication which way it might fall.

House Speaker Paul Ryan urged Congress to avoid a 'second needless shutdown in a matter of weeks - entirely needless.'

The White House was forced to order the government shutdown shortly after midnight, but leaders quickly hustled to move before federal employees were due back at work, hoping to minimize the disruption. A shutdown essentially cuts the federal workforce in half, with those dubbed non-essential not allowed to work, while military and essential workers remain on the job.

The House vote ensured most employees would report for work as usual. Under federal law, passage of the measure is enough to call off the shutdown; Trump was expected to sign the measure as soon as he received it.

Senate GOP leaders were clearly irked by the debacle. In his attempt to sway Paul to relent, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas declared his fellow Republican was 'wasting everyone's time' and prompting a shutdown for 'no good reason.' But Paul, the resident contrarian, repelled suggestions to stand aside.

Paul (center) poses for a picture with House allies Thomas Massie (R-KY, right) and Justin Amash (R-MI, left) after blocking a speedy vote on a budget-busting spending bill

'I didn't come up here to be part of somebody's club. I didn't come up here to be liked,' Paul said.

The budget agreement is married to a six-week temporary funding bill needed to keep the government operating and to provide time to implement the budget pact.

The bill includes huge spending increases sought by Republicans for the Pentagon along with a big boost demanded by Democrats for domestic agencies. Both sides pressed for $89 billion for disaster relief, extending a host of health care provisions, and extending a slew of smaller tax breaks.

It also would increase the government's debt cap, preventing a first-ever default on U.S. obligations that looms in just a few weeks. Such debt limit votes are usually enormous headaches for GOP leaders, but the increase means another vote won't occur before March 2019.

Senate leaders had celebrated the budget deal as a sign they had left behind some of their chronic dysfunction. Just three weeks ago, Senate Democrats sparked a three-day partial government shutdown by filibustering a spending bill, seeking relief for 'Dreamer' immigrants who've lived in the country illegally since they were children.

Senate Democrats had no appetite for another shutdown.

House GOP leaders shored up support among conservatives for the measure, which would shower the Pentagon with money but add hundreds of billions of dollars to the nation's $20 trillion-plus debt.

House Democratic leaders opposed the measure - arguing it should resolve the plight of Dreamers - but not with all their might. Pelosi made it plain she wasn't pressuring her colleagues to kill the bill, which is packed with money for party priorities like infrastructure, combating opioid abuse and helping college students.

'She negotiated the deal. Her team was in on it,' said top GOP vote counter Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican. 'And they were a "no." And at the end her team broke.'

Pelosi continued to press Ryan for a promise to bring an immigration measure sponsored by Reps. Will Hurd, a Texas Republican, and Pete Aguilar, a California Democrat, up for a vote. But many Democrats backed the measure without that assurance.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is seen at a news conference on Thursday. The midnight deadline for a vote on funding the government is approaching

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (right) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer walk to the chamber after collaborating in the Senate on a two-year spending deal

Ryan said again Thursday he was determined to bring an immigration bill to the floor this year - albeit only one that has Trump's blessing.

'We will solve this DACA problem,' Ryan said just before the vote. 'Once we get this budget agreement done - and we will get this done for no matter how long it takes for us to stay here - we will focus on bringing that debate to this floor and finding a solution.'

The episode was a clear defeat for those who had followed a risky strategy to use the party's leverage on the budget to address immigration. Protection for the Dreamers under former President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, formally expires next month and there's no sign that lawmakers are making progress on an agreement to extend the program.

Republicans, too, had their disappointments. Many were sheepish about the bushels of dollars for Democratic priorities and the return next year of $1 trillion-plus deficits. But they pointed to money they have long sought for the Pentagon, which they say needs huge sums for readiness, training and weapons modernization.

'It provides what the Pentagon needs to restore our military's edge for years to come,' said Ryan.

Beyond $300 billion worth of increases for the military and domestic programs, the agreement adds $89 billion in overdue disaster aid for hurricane-slammed Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, a politically charged increase in the government's borrowing cap and a grab bag of health and tax provisions. There's also $16 billion to renew a slew of expired tax breaks that Congress seems unable to kill.

'I love bipartisanship, as you know,' said Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona. 'But the problem is the only time we discover bipartisanship is when we spend more money.'

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks at a press conference on Thursday. Both parties are trying to overcome internal divisions to reach a vote on the budget by midnight