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Wednesday, Nov 12, 2025
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U.S. House Returns to End Record-Breaking Shutdown as Senate Clears Path
Senate passes funding bill to conclude longest U.S. government shutdown in history, House set to vote imminently
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have returned to Washington after a 53-day absence as the chamber prepares to vote on legislation expected to end the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history.
The shutdown, which began at midnight on October 1, disrupted hundreds of thousands of federal workers, halted food subsidies and choked the national travel system.
On Monday night the Senate passed a bipartisan funding package in a 60-40 vote, clearing the way for the House to take up the measure as early as Wednesday.
The bill would restore full funding to federal agencies through January 30, reinstate pay for furloughed employees and halt planned mass layoffs tied to the Trump administration’s workforce-reduction agenda.
The legislation does not include an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies for the 24 million Americans covered under them, but it mandates a separate vote in December on that issue.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he expects the deal to pass in the Republican-controlled chamber before being sent to President Donald Trump for signature.
Travel disruption was among the most visible impacts of the shutdown.
Other key effects included delayed benefits, reduced agency operations and elevated economic uncertainty.
While the vote represents a milestone toward normalising government functions, the agreement leaves open unresolved policy questions, including the future of ACA subsidies and the size of the federal workforce.
As the House convenes, attention will turn to whether the incoming vote secures the same momentum and whether federal operations can swiftly resume full activities in the coming days.
The shutdown, which began at midnight on October 1, disrupted hundreds of thousands of federal workers, halted food subsidies and choked the national travel system.
On Monday night the Senate passed a bipartisan funding package in a 60-40 vote, clearing the way for the House to take up the measure as early as Wednesday.
The bill would restore full funding to federal agencies through January 30, reinstate pay for furloughed employees and halt planned mass layoffs tied to the Trump administration’s workforce-reduction agenda.
The legislation does not include an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies for the 24 million Americans covered under them, but it mandates a separate vote in December on that issue.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he expects the deal to pass in the Republican-controlled chamber before being sent to President Donald Trump for signature.
Travel disruption was among the most visible impacts of the shutdown.
Other key effects included delayed benefits, reduced agency operations and elevated economic uncertainty.
While the vote represents a milestone toward normalising government functions, the agreement leaves open unresolved policy questions, including the future of ACA subsidies and the size of the federal workforce.
As the House convenes, attention will turn to whether the incoming vote secures the same momentum and whether federal operations can swiftly resume full activities in the coming days.
