The 2025 federal shutdown began at midnight on October 1 after Democrats refused to pass stopgap funding without locking in an immediate extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, a demand Republicans rejected, insisting the government reopen first. After 40 days, the longest shutdown on record, the Senate advanced a GOP-led continuing resolution on Sunday, November 9, by a 60–40 margin when eight Democratic caucus members—John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, Dick Durbin, Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, Tim Kaine, and Independent Angus King—broke with party leadership, acknowledging the standoff was inflicting needless harm.
The measure funds most agencies at FY2025 levels through January 30, 2026, while fully funding military construction, the Agriculture Department, and the legislative branch through September 30, 2026. It restores back pay, reinstates workers laid off during the shutdown, and temporarily bars new “reductions in force,” addressing the workforce turmoil that had compounded service disruptions.
Crucially for conservatives, Democrats dropped their central demand: there is no ACA subsidy extension in the bill, only a promise from Majority Leader John Thune to allow a December floor vote on the matter after the government reopens. And contrary to some early claims, the deal does not guarantee full-year SNAP funding or state reimbursements for benefits paid during the lapse; SNAP aid during the shutdown was mired in shifting court orders and agency guidance rather than settled by this agreement. The package moved to the House for final action, with Republicans arguing that reopening first, then debating health policy, ends the leverage play and puts regular order back in charge.
