The Wait is Finally Over: Government Shutdown Recap

View of the Capitol building in Washington DC. Photo Credit: Pixabay

The longest government shutdown in history ends as both the House and Senate agree to compromise on the budget. The shutdown started on October 1st as neither side could agree to the budget for the next fiscal year. This year’s shutdown is historically the longest shutdown in US history, at 43 days. Finally on Wednesday November 12th at 8pm EST, the House of Representatives agreed to end the government shutdown.

The vote ended 222-209 in favor of motion HR 5371. The passing of the motion ends the government shutdown and allows all federal employees to start getting paid once again. It also allows all the federal programs like SNAP and WIC to start sending out payments in full once again. President Trump’s administration was trying to stop the SNAP payments while the government was shutdown, by appealing to the Supreme Court.

Although with the shutdown ending, this appeal does not have a basis to stand on anymore. With all the federal employees being paid once again, it allows the FAA to remove the 10% reduction on air traffic. This was because the FAA was understaffed for air traffic control, and this allowed the skies to remain safe. According to the Secretary of Transportation, the delays and cancellations of flights around the US will likely extend past the shutdown. Aviation experts also say that the delays will continue for a few days after the end of the shutdown but should return to normal by Thanksgiving.

Before the House met for the vote last Wednesday, the Democrats were angry as eight Democrat Senators helped the Republican Party break the deadlock in the government shutdown. This is because the Democratic Party was pushing for an extension of health care benefits and tax credits under the Affordable Care Act.

Frank Pallone, a representative from New Jersey also a ranking member on the Energy and Commerce committee, stated, “When the Affordable Care Act was adopted, it was adopted for middle class people who cannot afford health insurance. They had no other option.” Representative Pallone also remarked, “I have constituents coming to me now, crying because their insurance is going from $500 a month to $1500 a month. Who can afford that, no one in the middle class.” He also said that even after the cuts to Medicaid, hospitals, and nursing homes, they will keep fighting for more affordable insurance premiums. These will not be by force as the Republican Senators have promised to allow a separate vote on the extensions after the government is back up and running.

This vote did not come without setbacks as in the hour before the vote both the Republicans and Democrats were debating. The Democrats over health insurance premiums, tax credits for health care, and the cost of living. The Republicans to reinstate the government for all the federal programs and workers to be paid. Steve Scalise, a representative from Louisiana and the current majority leader in the House, remarked,

“Let's get this government back open. Let’s go negotiate our differences, which there

are many, but let's do it while not continuing to hold the American people hostage. I urge my Democrat colleges to who have voted relentlessly to shut this government down, and to impose the suffering on the American people to stop. Let’s open the government. Let’s get back to the work of the American people.”

The more underlying investments in this bill are $1 billion in single direct home loans, helping rural America and $446 million in wastewater programs which are topics that the Democrats tried to address in the House beforehand. $1.8 billion into the agriculture research service, $1.6 billion for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), to eliminate President Trump’s proposed cuts on land grant university research around the country. It also makes the USDA notify Congress before cancelling any grants for over a million dollars.

It seems the only thing that needs to be voted on that was talked about during the shutdown will be the healthcare tax credits and the affordability of said insurance. Congress will be up and running as normal from Thursday November 13th onwards, and they will continue to debate over the budget for the 2026 fiscal year.