Government Shutdown Rundown
Beginning on October 1, 2025, the federal government of the United States shut down. On September 30th, Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for the 2026 fiscal year, sending the United States government into a 43-day standstill.
The 2025 government shutdown is now recorded as the longest of it’s kind in the history of the United States. This has been the second government shutdown under Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump also presided over the second-longest government shutdown of his first term (2017-2021). The first shutdown under Trump lasted 35 days in 2018-2019 over a dispute in funding for the construction of the Southern border wall.
How did it end?
On Thursday, November 13th, the government was set to reopen after President Trump signed a funding bill on the evening of November 12th, ending the 43-day shutdown. The House of Representatives passed the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs and Extensions Act, 2026, with a final vote of 222 to 209. The bill passed the Senate on November 10th with a vote of 60-40, after seven Democrats and one independent senator voted alongside Republicans to reopen the government. President Trump signed the bill on the evening of November 12th, ending the 43-day shutdown.
When will the benefits and pay return?
Many federal workers were temporarily suspended from their jobs due to funding shortages but are still expected to return to work. Around 730,000 federal workers were still expected to work without receiving pay. Some federal workers will be receiving bonuses after the shutdown for continuing to work. Some TSA workers will receive up to $10,000. The United States Military was still paid during the shutdown because it is considered essential. According to multiple sources, four days before the paychecks were supposed to go out on October 15th, President Trump directed the Pentagon to use “all available funds” to ensure the military received pay. The payment schedule for the US Military is expected to return to normal in the following weeks after the shutdown.
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits were also delayed during the shutdown. The Trump Administration announced it would continue issuing partial SNAP benefits, with recipients receiving up to 65% of their usual amount after federal judges ruled the government still had to provide at least some funding. In Kentucky, around 600,000 people rely on SNAP benefits. Kentucky also restored SNAP benefits on November 15, 2025.
What’s next?
This isn’t the end, though. The legislative extension funding for most agencies lasts through January 30th, 2026. Other parts last through September 2026. The funding will expire on January 30th, and Congress and the President will need to pass new legislation to avoid another government shutdown.
