The longest government shutdown in US history officially ended after President Trump signed a bill passed by Congress on Wednesday night.
The federal government is reopening. But after 43 days of pause, things may not return to normal immediately. For example, federal employees are still awaiting retroactive pay, and air travel disruptions are expected to persist.
Some impacts may continue for much longer than six weeks, whether with national parks trying to compensate for lost visitor revenue or taxpayers waiting longer for IRS refunds, which is overloaded.
There is also the imminent threat of another possible shutdown in the near future, as this bill only funds the government until January 30.
See below for an overview of the current situation. Keep scrolling to see updates and browse the categories here:
Federal employees return to work, awaiting retroactive pay
Approximately 1.4 million federal employees went without pay for six weeks. About half of them were required to continue working without pay, while hundreds of thousands of others were placed on unpaid leave.
Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), instructed agency heads to tell employees on unpaid leave to return to work on Thursday.
“Agencies must take all necessary steps to ensure that offices reopen quickly and orderly” on Thursday, Vought wrote in a memo on Wednesday.
The deadline for retroactive pay is a different matter.
After the end of the government shutdown in January 2019 — the longest in history at the time — Congress passed a law guaranteeing retroactive pay to federal employees “as soon as possible after the end of the funding suspension, regardless of scheduled pay dates.”
But Trump seemed to suggest otherwise in public statements last month, leaving many federal employees worried.
The bill passed by Congress to end the shutdown guarantees retroactive pay. It also reverses staff reduction attempts by various agencies during the shutdown, which had been suspended by a federal judge, and prevents new federal employee firings until January.
Shaun Southworth, federal labor attorney, stated in an Instagram video that the deadline for retroactive pay varies by agency and their respective payroll providers, but most employees should start receiving deposits in a few days.
“Historically, many employees received deposits in the first business days after the government reopened,” he said about the last shutdown. “A minority may have payments transferred to the next cycle if the system needs additional processing.”
SNAP is back
The bill passed by Congress to reopen the government funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) until September 2026.
The program, on which about 42 million Americans rely for food assistance, has been the target of much uncertainty — and a growing legal battle — in recent weeks. The Trump administration announced last month that it would suspend SNAP funding in November due to the government shutdown, sparking widespread outrage and a series of legal challenges.
Although the government initially stated it would comply with two court rulings requiring at least partial SNAP funding in November, it backtracked — and eventually appealed to the Supreme Court — after one of the judges ruled that the program should be fully funded for the month. The Supreme Court suspended that order (and extended the suspension again on Tuesday, with the end of the shutdown in sight).
To date, beneficiaries in some states have received their full monthly amounts, while others received partial payments or nothing. The government reopening means SNAP resumption, but it’s unclear how quickly full payments will resume, as it varies by state. And, as reported by NPR, many who rely on the program fear that benefits could be cut again.
Smithsonian institutions will reopen gradually
The Smithsonian, which encompasses 21 museums and the National Zoo, states that its reopening will be gradual. The museum’s website informs that the National Museum of American History, as well as the National Air and Space Museum and its Virginia annex, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, will reopen their doors on Friday.
All other museums and the zoo — including their beloved live animal cameras — will reopen to the public gradually by Monday (17).
Source: npr.org by Rachel Treisman