The government shutdown has come to an end after Congress passed a funding bill, which President Donald Trump signed into law late Wednesday night.
The House voted 222 to 209 to pass a deal negotiated by Senate Republicans and eight Democrats, keeping the government open through January.
The government shutdown has been the longest in U.S. history, spanning more than six weeks. It has caused disruptions at airports across the nation, forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees to work without pay and others to be furloughed, and even halted funding for childcare and food stamps.
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With the government set to reopen, we examined what this means for Americans.
When will the government reopen?
The government officially reopened immediately after President Donald Trump signed the legislation. The bill will fund the government through Jan. 30, 2026.
Will SNAP benefits resume?
The bill includes a provision that funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through September 2026.
SNAP funding has been a hot topic during the shutdown, with a federal judge ruling the Trump administration must tap into emergency funds to cover November payments. However, the Supreme Court paused that order as appeals continued.
Other nutritional programs, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, were kept running through emergency funds during the shutdown.
What about federal workers?
Federal agencies furloughed more than 670,000 federal employees during the shutdown, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Now, employers are asking them to return to work.
The legislation also includes language requiring the Trump administration to reverse any firings of federal workers within five days.
The president recently confirmed he will abide by the Senate’s legislation, reversing the firings. He told ABC News, “I’ll abide by the deal. The deal is very good.”
Will federal workers receive back pay?
The Bipartisan Policy Center reported that 730,000 employees were still required to work throughout the shutdown, unpaid. However, some workers were paid through emergency funding, including U.S. military members.
The new legislation notes that all furloughed employees and those who worked during the shutdown will receive back pay, according to ABC News. Back pay is required under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which Trump signed into law during his first term.
The Trump administration said it expects federal employee paychecks to go out beginning Saturday, with a goal of completing all backpay by Nov. 19, according to Semafor.
Each agency has a different processing date, but all occur prior to the 19th. The General Services Administration and the Office of Personnel Management have a projected backpay processing date of Nov. 15.
The Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs, as well as Army and non-Army civilian employees, will likely have backpay processed on Sunday.
The Departments of Education, State, Interior and Transportation, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Social Security Administration will have paychecks processed on Monday, but back pay won’t appear until the next paycheck cycle.
Semafor stated that the agencies listed above will receive back pay from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1. Any November pay that needs to be distributed will appear on later paychecks.
The Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor and Treasury, as well as the Small Business Administration, will receive backpay for the entirety of the shutdown on Nov. 19.
What will happen with air traffic control? Will flights return to normal?
The government shutdown further strained an industry already struggling with short staffing. Due to the shutdown, air traffic controllers were not paid, and some failed to report for their shifts, forcing others to work overtime.
Air traffic controller staffing numbers became so dire that the Federal Aviation Administration reduced flights by 10% at 40 major airports. Those reductions, which only reached 6% by the time the government reopened, led to thousands of delays daily and thousands more cancellations since last week.
However, in an update on Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters that more controllers have been returning to work because a potential reopening is in sight and they’re “feeling hopeful.”
However, he added that air travel around Thanksgiving would have to be reduced “to a trickle.”
He said that with the government reopening, controllers will receive 70% of their paychecks within 24 to 48 hours after Trump signed the legislation. However, he said the FAA will not lift its flight cut mandate until safety data improves.
Experts told ABC that once the cut is lifted, it will take several days for airlines to recalibrate their networks and flights to return to normal.
Duffy previously said travel delays will likely linger after the government reopens, even stretching into the holiday season.
“This is gonna live on, in air travel, well beyond the time frame that this government opens back up,” Duffy said.
What is the current status of health care subsidies?
The stalemate that kept the shutdown going centered on Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire on Dec. 31 under Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Current subsidies, adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, allow many lower-income Americans to obtain healthcare coverage at little to no cost.
However, if Congress does not agree to renew the subsidies, the average premium for many Americans could more than double in the new year.
Since the start of the shutdown, Democrats have demanded that any reopening legislation include renewals of ACA subsidies. However, the new funding bill that Trump signed on Wednesday does not include renewals.
Separate from the legislation, Senate Republican leaders reportedly promised to allow a vote on a bill of Democrats’ choosing related to the ACA in December. It’s unclear what that bill could look like or if the vote will actually occur, as there’s nothing formally written in the legislation. House Republican leaders have not committed to a vote on ACA subsidies.
What else does the legislation say?
Another significant factor in the reopening legislation is a $400 million designation towards security. Members of Congress, as well as members of the Supreme Court, will receive $1 million or more for personal security.
The protections come amid heightened violence against political officials. In the past year, two Minnesota Democrats were targeted in “politically motivated attacks.” Then, earlier this fall, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a university in Utah. Trump was targeted for assassination twice during the 2024 presidential campaign.
The legislation also includes language that will effectively end the hemp-derived THC industry. The bill redefines “hemp” to exclude intoxicating products like THCA and delta-8 THC. Both chemicals are similar to the psychoactive chemical in traditional cannabis that gives users a high.
While some states have banned hemp THC products, federal law still allows their sale if they contain no more than 0.3% THC. However, this legislation would change that, effectively banning these products for consumer use nationwide.
What may still be delayed?
Americans will still feel the effects of the government shutdown, even after it reopens. Some resources that haven’t received funding will need to get back up and running before they can provide services again.
For example, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps some families pay energy bills, will still be delayed. States typically receive their funding for the program in early November, but with the shutdown, those funds have not been distributed.
Americans will likely feel the effects of the delay as colder months quickly approach.
Head Start programs could also face additional delays because many of their grants expired on Oct. 31.
