Federal Workers Return, Paychecks to Start as Record Breaking Shutdown Ends
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is officially over and furloughed federal workers are expected back on the job immediately.
President Trump signed legislation ending the 43-day shutdown and extending government funding until January 30, 2026. “This is no way to run a country. I hope we all can agree that the government should never be shut down again,” said the president.
Earlier in the day, the House passed the legislation 222-209. That followed Senate passage after seven Democrats and an independent broke with the party to endorse legislation to end the shutdown.
OMB Memo, Federal Paychecks
Shortly after the shutdown was over, Office of Management Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought issued a memo directing employees to return to work on Thursday, November 13, and directing agencies to “take all necessary steps to ensure that offices open in a prompt and orderly manner.”
An estimated 750,000 employees were furloughed during the shutdown.
Meanwhile, federal paychecks will begin going out Saturday, according to the White House as the legislation includes back pay for federal workers. It also rescinds 4,000 plus layoffs that were made during the shutdown and shields federal employees from future layoffs through January 30, 2026.
It does not rescind layoffs that were made prior to the shutdown. But with the government reopening, severance payments that were paused will resume to separated employees.
Shutdown Repercussions
Even with the shutdown over, it will take time for things to go back to normal.
Workers will still have to wait for back pay. It will take days to unwind the flight delays. And six plus weeks of emails and paperwork will have to be sorted across offices, including at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
“You’re talking about more than 40 days of mail that no one touched. People who are expecting money back will also see a delay in processing those tax refunds,” said Gibson Jones, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) Local 98 in Memphis.
“Another Storm on the Horizon”
And above all, is the looming January 30 deadline for another shutdown if Congress cannot pass a new spending bill.
“There’s no back to normal in this deal because all it does it kick the can until January 30,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of Partnership for Public Service. “It’s a little like the federal workforce is going to return to their house after a hurricane and there’s another storm on the horizon.”
Right now, Congress has only passed full-year legislation for the Department of Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch.
Provision to Sue Federal Law Enforcement
In the full-year legislative bill, there is a provision that would allow senators to sue federal law enforcement for seizing or issuing subpoenas for their data without notifying them. The provision was added by Senate Republicans and could allow payouts up to $500,000 plus legal fees.
It’s in response to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Capitol Hill riot on January 6, 2021. Senate Republicans released a document showing investigators obtained cell phone data from eight senators for calls made before and after the attack.
The move angered Democrats as well as Republicans in the House, who tried unsuccessfully to have the provision removed.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the senators who had his phone records seized said, “And if you think I’m going to settle this thing for a million dollars? No,” said Senator Graham. “I want to make it so painful no one ever does this again.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he did not want to repeal the provision in the funding bills because the Senate would be forced to vote on it again, delaying the reopening of the government. However, Speaker Johnson says he may bring a bill to the floor next week repealing the provision.