The President signed the funding bill on November 12, 2025 to end the longest government shutdown in US history. ( President Donald Trump in a file photo from the White House.)
The United States ended its longest-ever government shutdown, restoring federal services, food assistance and air travel operations nationwide.
WASHINGTON – The longest government shutdown in United States history ended Wednesday night, November 12, 2025, after forty three days of political stalemate that disrupted air travel, delayed food assistance for millions and forced more than a million federal workers to miss paychecks.
President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan funding bill shortly after the House approved it, formally restoring government operations that had been partially shut down since October 1. The shutdown exceeded the thirty five day closure of 2018 to 2019 and marked a new record in duration and economic impact.
How the shutdown began
The federal fiscal year begins every October 1, when Congress must pass twelve appropriations bills or a temporary measure to keep agencies funded. Lawmakers failed to agree on either this year, triggering a lapse in appropriations and the automatic start of a shutdown.
The central dispute involved the scheduled expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies in November 2025. Senate Democrats opposed a Republican funding plan that did not extend the subsidies and said millions of Americans would face higher health insurance premiums without them. Republicans countered that Democrats were tying the entire government budget to a single policy demand and argued that subsidy negotiations should proceed separately from reopening the government.
With neither side shifting before the deadline, the shutdown began and stretched into the longest in United States history.
What closed and who was affected
Under federal law, agencies must separate “excepted” work that can continue during a funding lapse from activities that must stop without appropriations. That process resulted in about nine hundred thousand federal employees being furloughed at some point during the shutdown. Hundreds of thousands more worked without pay in essential roles across the Department of Defense, the Transportation Security Administration and air traffic control facilities.
National museums and many national parks closed to the public. Passport and visa services slowed. Scientific research projects, housing and small business programs and routine administrative functions were paused or scaled back across multiple agencies.
Some departments warned that if the shutdown continued, extended furloughs could turn into temporary reductions in force. Those warnings added uncertainty to a workforce already navigating separate restructuring plans announced earlier in the year.
In total, about 1.25 million federal workers missed paychecks. Many relied on credit cards, food assistance programs and emergency savings to cover essential expenses.
Food assistance disruption became a flashpoint
One of the most consequential ripple effects of the shutdown was the disruption to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides food benefits to about 42 million low income Americans.
In late October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture informed states that it could not issue regular federal SNAP payments scheduled for November 1 during the shutdown. State leaders warned that they could not replace federal benefits at scale and said food banks would be unable to absorb the potential surge in demand.
A coalition of more than two dozen states, along with the District of Columbia, filed lawsuits seeking to compel the federal government to release available contingency funds. The lawsuits argued that Congress had already appropriated the money and that withholding November benefits would cause widespread harm to households relying on SNAP.
Federal courts ordered USDA to use contingency funds to issue partial November payments. USDA then instructed states to provide reduced allotments, generally covering about half of the usual benefit amount, while legal challenges continued.
After the shutdown ended, USDA announced that full SNAP benefits would resume once states updated their distribution systems. Some states may continue to experience delays as they recalibrate their programs.
Air travel disruptions mounted pressure on Washington
Air travel became an early and visible source of public frustration. Air traffic controllers and many Federal Aviation Administration personnel continued working without pay despite an existing staffing shortage. Absences increased as the shutdown extended into late October.
To maintain safety, the FAA and the Department of Transportation ordered airlines to reduce scheduled flights at forty major airports. A four percent reduction took effect on November 7, with possible increases to six percent, eight percent and ten percent if staffing worsened.
By early November, airlines had canceled thousands of flights. Passengers faced long lines, reduced route options and higher fares in some markets. As negotiations advanced in Congress and more controllers returned to work, transportation officials halted further reductions and kept the cuts capped at six percent. The temporary cap will remain in place until staffing levels fully support normal scheduling.
Economic losses unlikely to be fully recovered
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that a shutdown of this length could permanently reduce economic output by seven to fourteen billion dollars. Analysts also noted significant temporary losses as federal contracts paused, employees missed paychecks and consumer confidence weakened.
Federal workers collectively missed an estimated sixteen billion dollars in wages during the shutdown. Contractors, who typically are not guaranteed back pay, are expected to bear lasting financial losses.
Some economic activity is expected to rebound as agencies restart projects and workers receive back pay. However, economists say canceled travel, delayed hiring, interrupted research and lost productivity will leave lasting effects on sectors closely tied to federal operations.
The deal that broke the stalemate
The breakthrough occurred in the Senate after weeks of failed proposals. With flight cancellations mounting and states preparing emergency measures to respond to food assistance shortfalls, negotiators advanced a narrower plan to reopen the government while scheduling a separate debate on health care subsidies.
On November 10, the Senate approved the revised funding bill in a 60 to 40 vote, with several Democrats joining Republicans. The House passed the bill on Wednesday, 222 to 209, sending it to President Trump for his signature.
The law funds the federal government through January 30, 2026, and includes a commitment from Senate leaders to hold a December vote on the future of Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. It also guarantees back pay for furloughed federal workers under laws established after previous shutdowns.
Agencies have begun recalling employees and restarting halted programs. The broader question is whether Congress can avoid another funding crisis when the current law expires early next year.
