Yesterday, President Trump signed legislation to reopen the federal government after the longest shutdown in American history. The shutdown began on October 1 when Congress failed to pass either the twelve appropriations bills needed to fund the government for FY2026 or to extend prior year funding. The stalemate occurred because Democrats opposed a Republican proposal that did not renew expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, on which Republicans refused to negotiate. Earlier this week, the Senate reached a bipartisan agreement on a package that combines a continuing resolution with a small group of appropriations bills. The continuing resolution extends FY2025 funding through January 30, 2026. The appropriations bills in the package provide full funding through September 30, 2026 for the Legislative Branch, the Department of Agriculture (including SNAP), and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. The legislation also reverses the Reductions-In-Force (RIF) implemented by the White House in October, including cuts at ED, and prohibits additional RIFs until January 30, 2026. The measure narrowly passed the Senate with support from eight Democrats, and the House returned from an unprecedented fifty-four day recess to approve the bill late yesterday with help from a handful of moderate Democrats. Although the government is officially reopen, it will take time for federal employees to resume normal operations. Many have been furloughed since October 1, leaving inboxes overflowing and systems offline. We would expect operations to be fully functional following Thanksgiving. Congress and the President must still pass the remaining nine appropriations bills before the continuing resolution expires on January 30. The Senate is expected to consider another package as early as next week that could include the Labor-HHS-Education bill along with Defense and Transportation. It is unclear whether the House will accept that package or seek further negotiations. On Wednesday, we issued an Advocacy Alert urging members to contact their representatives to request inclusion of the House language in the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill that would block gainful employment implementation. If you have not yet reached out, now is the perfect time to do so. | 
