Government Reopens After Longest Shutdown in US History: 4 Things to Know

A large number of government employees have not been receiving paychecks amid the shutdown.

An American Airlines plane takes off near the air traffic control tower at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, 2025. Mario Tama/Getty Images

An American Airlines plane takes off near the air traffic control tower at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, 2025. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The government has reopened after President Donald Trump signed a funding bill approved by both chambers of Congress on Nov. 12.

Eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus and six Democratic representatives joined Republicans to pass the legislation.

“Our troops, air traffic controllers, and federal employees will be back to receiving their regular paychecks,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news briefing ahead of the signing.

“Families in need will get back to receiving their food purchasing assistance, and the people’s government will soon be back open for business.”

Here is what you need to know about the government reopening under this measure.

Food Stamps

The approximately 42 million people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) stopped receiving all or some benefits after October, as the Trump administration resisted tapping tariff revenue to fully fund food stamps for November.

The federal government spends approximately $9 billion per month on SNAP.

Contingency money previously set aside by Congress was used by the administration to partially fund November benefits, under orders from a federal judge. The Supreme Court blocked a different order that would have required the administration to use tariff revenue to fully fund the program.

The package signed by Trump appropriates $107.4 billion for SNAP, including $6 billion that will be placed in a contingency fund and used only “in such amounts and at such times as may become necessary to carry out program operations.”

Most SNAP participants will receive food stamps within 24 hours of the government reopening, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) told The Epoch Times in an email on Nov. 13.

Some states had already issued full benefits, following a memorandum from the department. When the agency attempted to order those states to reverse steps they had taken to issue full benefits, a federal judge blocked the directive.

“Now that the shutdown has come to an end, USDA must provide the necessary guidance to states to ensure every eligible family receives their full November SNAP benefits as quickly as possible,” Share Our Strength, an advocacy group, wrote on LinkedIn.

Flight Restrictions

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions earlier in November, as some air traffic controllers did not report to work. Controllers are government employees, so they had been working without pay.

National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels said on Nov. 11 that he was unsure what the pay schedules would look like when the government reopened.

“All I can reference is what happened in 2019,” he said.

“It took air traffic controllers approximately two to 2 1/2 months to be able to be made whole from all their compensation.”

On the same day, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said controllers will receive 70 percent of their back pay within 24 to 48 hours after the shutdown ends.

In another briefing on Nov. 11, he said controllers might not immediately return to work.

“I’m concerned we are not going to have day one controllers come back into the towers right away,” he said. “I’m asking them to do that. President Trump has asked them to do that. It is their job and they will be paid, but it might not be immediate when they come back in.

“And so we’re going to watch, analyze, encourage them to come back. We will start to alleviate the restrictions ... only when the data says we should.”

The Department of Transportation did not respond to a request for comment.

Back Pay

A large number of government employees have not been receiving paychecks amid the shutdown, with some, including air traffic controllers and Department of Justice lawyers, working without pay as lawmakers negotiated.

The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 requires the government to provide back pay to furloughed employees, as well as workers excepted from furlough who work during shutdowns.

“[The employees shall be paid] at the earliest date possible after the lapse in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates,” the act states.

Veronica Hinton, an Office of Personnel Management official, said in a memorandum on Nov. 12 that the office is committed to retroactive pay being paid “as soon as possible” and issued guidance for agencies.

John Hatton, vice president of policy and programs for the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, told The Epoch Times in an email that another document from the office confirms that the Trump administration intends to finish providing retroactive pay by Nov. 19.

A spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management told The Epoch Times in an email that agencies have different payroll providers, so completing the process will vary by agency.

The White House referred a request for comment to the Office of Management and Budget, which did not respond.

The package signed by Trump also reverses all mass terminations, or reductions in force, implemented after the shutdown started.

“Any employee who received notice of being subject to such a Reduction in Force shall have that notice rescinded and be returned to employment status as of September 30, 2025, without interruption,” it states.

Another Shutdown?

The package fully funds the USDA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the legislative branch, and military construction for fiscal year 2025.

Other agencies were provided with funding only through Jan. 30, 2026.

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said another shutdown is a possibility.

“I’m concerned,” she told The Epoch Times. “On Jan. 30, we could find ourselves in the same position.”

Hatton told The Epoch Times in an email: “We may be back in a similar spot in February. There are also several bills, like the [Department of] Homeland Security appropriations bill, that are unlikely to yield a bipartisan compromise. Whether enough Senate Democrats will support an extension of funding for those via a continuing resolution remains to be seen.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) told reporters in Washington, after voting for the reopening package, that reopening the government would give Democrats time to negotiate extended tax credits for health insurance.

“The Republicans weren’t providing ... commitment or willingness to vote or discuss extending the tax credits,” she said.

“We have an opportunity to do that, and we will hold their feet to the fire.”

Correction: A previous version of this article misquoted Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in one instance. The Epoch Times regrets the error.