As of yesterday, November 12th, the government shutdown that started on October 1st and lasted 43 days has officially come to an end. Yesterday, current President Donald Trump signed a federal funding bill that would allow the government to reopen.
The bill was only able to be signed by the president thanks to the Congress and the House’s votes. The Senate voted 60-40 to pass the bill, with 52 republicans, 7 Democrats, and 1 independent voting to pass the bill towards reopening the government. As for the house, it was 222-209 on passing the bill, with almost every Republican voting to pass the bill and a few key Democrats as well.
With the bill being signed, the government will have funding until February 1st, 2026. Hopefully, the officials in office can resolve the next batch of funding before it results in a shutdown this time.
With the government reopening, millions of federal workers will be able to return to work and pick up where they left off. According to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, all workers who were furloughed or were required to work without pay should receive backpay at the ‘earliest convenience’ from the government.
While the shutdown has ended, all things will not return to normal instantly. Flights are still expected to be delayed or cancelled for some time. Additionally, it is expected to differ from state to state when food stamp beneficiaries will regain their full benefits again.
As for the political side of the shutdown, the bill used to reopen the government did not include any mention of the health-care subsidies that the government initially shut down over, leading to some outrage from political figures.
Regardless of the outcome, it is good news to have the government reopen so that the millions of Americans who relied on it can rest easy and return to normal life.
