The longest government shutdown in US history is finally coming to an end. The House of Representatives passed a Republican-led spending bill late Wednesday to reopen the government. The vote stood at 222 in favour and 209 against. Six Democrats supporting the measure. The bill will now go to President Donald Trump, who has confirmed he will sign it tonight, officially ending the shutdown.
Most furloughed workers have been told to return to their jobs on Thursday. Agencies are expected to receive official reopening instructions from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
What the bill includes and what it leaves out
- No layoffs: All federal layoffs that happened during the shutdown will be cancelled.
- Back pay: Every federal worker who missed paychecks will receive full back pay for the time they couldn’t work.
- Temporary funding: The deal will keep the government running until January, preventing another shutdown for now.
What’s not included:
- Health insurance subsidies: Democrats’ main demand, an extension of health insurance subsidies, did not make it into this bill. Lawmakers have agreed to hold a separate vote on that issue later in December.
Furloughed workers to get back pay
With Trump expected to sign the bill, federal employees will start returning to work as early as Thursday. The new funding ensures preschools, food assistance programs, and federal offices that were shut down will reopen. National landmarks and museums will also resume operations. Workers will be informed about when to report back, how they’ll receive their back pay, and how offices should resume normal operations.
Important economic reports, delayed due to the shutdown, will be released soon, though some may come out later than planned. Ahead of the vote, the White House said the package “ends disruptions to programs the American people rely on and ensures that federal employees forced to work without pay, such as air traffic controllers, will now be promptly paid.”
Some employees had already received informal messages from their supervisors to prepare for work. For example, Interior Department staff were told to report on Thursday. Some Agriculture Department employees were asked to return on Friday. The Health and Human Services Department said in a statement that all furloughed employees should report to duty once the bill becomes law. “All employees who were furloughed must report for duty at their official duty station on Thursday, Nov. 13, if the bill is signed into law tonight or tomorrow morning,” HHS said.
Here’s when disrupted services could go back to normal
Even when the bill is signed, few departments won’t return to normal overnight. According to experts, it may take days or even weeks before government services, air travel, and public programs go back on the track.
Flights could take weeks to stabilise: Air travel was among the worst-hit sectors during the shutdown. With air traffic controllers either taking sick leaves or skipping work due to blank paychecks, flight schedules were disrupted. Experts told USA Today and CNN that it might take days or even weeks for airlines to rebuild flight schedules and fix staffing shortages. They also warned that the disruption might also impact the Thanksgiving travel.
Economic reports delayed: The shutdown also stopped the release of important economic data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was scheduled to release the September jobs report on October 3, just two days after the shutdown began. Economists told the Wall Street Journal that the report will likely be released shortly after the government reopens. However, other important reports, like the producer-price index and the unemployment rate for October, might take longer than expected. That’s because the BLS was furloughed, meaning it wasn’t able to conduct its regular surveys.
Uncertainty over SNAP payment: One of the biggest concerns during the shutdown has been SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food benefits to millions of low-income families. The Trump administration had tried to pause full SNAP payments for November while the shutdown was ongoing. Now, even as the government prepares to reopen, it’s unclear how quickly food stamps will reach families.
Museums and national parks to reopen: While most national parks stayed open in a limited way during the shutdown, popular public attractions were all closed. These places should reopen soon. After the 2019 government shutdown, Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo reopened four days later.
