Longest Government Shutdown in U.S. History Ends After 43 Days

On November 12, President Trump signed into law a stopgap funding package, formally ending the 43-day government shutdown that began on October 1. The package, which passed the Senate on November 10 and the House on November 12, provides full-year funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 for three of the twelve appropriations bills. All other federal agencies will continue operating at FY 2025 funding levels through January 30, 2026. 

What the Deal Includes 

The legislation combines three full-year appropriations bills — Agriculture–FDA, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction–Veterans Affairs — with a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the rest of the government through January 30. 

More specifically, the package: 

  • Requires back pay for furloughed federal employees 
  • Rescinds reduction-in-force (RIF) notices issued during the shutdown, while also reinstating laid-off employees and prohibiting new RIFs from being issued throughout the duration of the CR 
  • Reimburses states who used state funding to sustain federal programs or services during the shutdown 
  • Maintains FY 2025 funding levels for most federal programs through January 30 

The measure also extends the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) through January 30. Both of which were set to expire. 

Lastly, in order to get the Democratic votes needed to break the deadlock, Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed to hold a separate vote by early December on legislation seeking to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, which are otherwise set to expire at the end of the calendar year. 

Looking Ahead 

With the funding deal only running through January 30, Congress has less than 50 days to come to an agreement on the nine other appropriations bills before the deadline. Major issues still remain unresolved, including disagreements over funding levels for the remaining appropriations bills and the lack of concrete progress on the Affordable Care Act tax credit subsidies.  

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