Photo of U.S. Capitol Building. SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / COURTESY
Elaina Batista, Asst. Social Media Editor
The government shutdown is officially over. The shutdown that began on Oct. 1 concluded on Nov. 13, clocking in as the longest-ever shutdown in U.S. history. Capital Hill was shut down for 43 total days, negatively affecting millions of Americans nationwide.
During a government shutdown, federal employees generally fall into three categories. The first is those who have salaries financed through means other than annual appropriations, meaning they continue to work and be paid. The second is those who are furloughed, experiencing a temporary, unpaid leave of absence from work. The third is those who continue to work without pay, also known as “excepted” employees.
During this shutdown, there were 58,000 employees who had been furloughed, 25,000 working without pay and 14,000 who worked with pay. In New York state alone, there were 51,716 federal employees who had not received a paycheck in over a month.
Amid a shutdown, the government still holds limited spending flexibility by prioritizing funding for programs that the president deemed essential for public safety or national security. Agencies may reallocate available funds to maintain operations, and in preparation for the government shutdown, these agencies published contingency plans in which they laid out presidential priorities.
On Nov. 12, the House of Representatives approved a bill funding the government through Jan. 30, 2026, with six Democrats joining their Republican colleagues to vote in favor of the bill, bringing the final vote to 222 to 209.
President Donald Trump signed the bill Wednesday night, enforcing federal workers to return to work on Thursday.
The bill includes measures to reverse layoffs the Trump administration imposed during the shutdown and institutes protections against further layoffs and backpay for federal employees. The issue of extension on Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year was not addressed in the bill.
Republicans agreed to give Democrats a chance to vote on a plan of their choosing in December in order to extend the increased subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of that month. However, within this package also lives funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP Program) which 42 million individuals rely on.
“The Democrat Shutdown is finally over thanks to House and Senate Republicans. There is absolutely no question now that Democrats are responsible for millions of American families going hungry, millions of travelers left stranded in airports and our troops left wondering if they would receive their next paycheck,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a joint statement following the passing of the bill.
The six Democrats who voted in support of the bill include Jared Golden of Maine, Adam Gray of California, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Tom Suozzi of New York and Don Davis of North Carolina.
The timing as to when employees will receive their back pay varies, depending on what payroll provider their agency uses and differing pay schedules across the federal workforce. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a statement on Wednesday saying in it that they are, “committed to ensuring that retroactive pay is provided as soon as possible.”
Employees from the General Services Administration and OPM are set to be among the first to receive their retroactive paychecks, expected to deposit by Nov. 15. Following them include the departments of Veterans Affairs, Energy, and Health and Human Services, as well as civilian employees from the Defense Department, who will receive their deposits on Nov. 16.