US Federal Government Reopens After Longest Shutdown in History
In a significant move, US President Donald Trump signed legislation to fund the government once again, ending the longest government shutdown in the nation's history. The legislation funds the government at the same levels during fiscal year 2025 through Jan. 30, 2026, to provide additional time to negotiate a longer appropriations measure for fiscal year 2026. It also includes funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that more than 42 million Americans rely on.
The Shutdown
The shutdown, which spanned 43 days, was marked by missed paychecks for federal workers, airline delays due to air traffic controller staffing shortages, and a rise in federal employees resorting to social media to share practical tips and chronicle life without paychecks. Due to the shutdown, over 5,000 flights were cancelled or delayed, impacting travel not only in the US but also in Italy and Europe.
The Legislation
The legislation, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 12, faced opposition from some lawmakers. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., criticized the bill’s promise of job protections for federal employees as a safeguard that Congress should not have needed to spell out.
On the other hand, Vice President JD Vance claimed the House deal that ended the shutdown was identical to one top Democrats rejected weeks earlier. He told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the Democrats caused a lot of stress for troops, caused flight cancellations, and made people think they weren’t going to get their food benefits, all for nothing.
Effect on Federal Employees and The Public
The shutdown had significant effects on federal employees and the general public. Federal bureaucrats and employees faced delayed pay and other challenges, causing a major disruption in the lives of thousands of Americans. The impact was also felt by air travellers, with thousands of flights cancelled or delayed due to staffing issues stemming from the shutdown.
A Divided Response
The response to the end of the shutdown was divided among lawmakers. Eight Senate Democrats broke from their party leaders to vote in favor of the bill, while others criticized the decision to end the shutdown, accusing the Democrats who voted for the bill of bringing a butter knife
to a gunfight.
Conclusion
The end of the shutdown marks the beginning of a long process of rebooting the US government. It could take days, and in some cases a week or more, before normal operations resume, including updating payroll systems to pay out weeks of back wages and clearing backlogs of grant disbursements, loan applications, and customer calls that went unanswered for 43 days. In the meantime, the American public and federal employees are left to deal with the aftermath of the longest government shutdown in US history.