The longest-running government shutdown in U.S. history is planned to come to an end after 43 days. On Nov. 12, the House voted on a bill to provide temporary government funding for major federal agencies and government programs through Jan. 30, detailed by the House Committee. Some effects of the shutdown may take over a week to revert back to normal, while other programs will resume immediately.
The Trump administration has refused to release Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits to Americans during the shutdown, causing food banks and pantries across the country to mobilize. After lawsuits from multiple states, federal judges ordered the Trump administration to tap into contingency funding from Congress for the program in October, but the Administration has been delaying the process. The delays have impacted over 42 million Americans that rely on SNAP benefits.
President Trump signed the bill into effect on Nov. 12, but it will take at least a week for all government programs to proceed as usual. According to federal law, government workers whose paychecks were paused during the shutdown will be paid for that time. The bill also reinstates federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown. Furloughed federal workers will return back to work like normal.
While the end of the shutdown means government programs will no longer be bogged down, the primary issue of whether or not to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that created disagreements in the House is still unresolved. Healthcare funding is expected to be a hot button topic during the nearing midterm elections next November.
The last government shutdown occurred between 2018 and 2019 during President Trump’s last presidency and lasted 35 days, which was the longest shutdown in history at the time.