US Government Shutdown Ends: Key Details & Impact
- - After 35 days of impasse, the US federal government reopened on January 27, 2019, as Republican and Democratic senators reached an agreement to restore funding and pay...
- The preliminary agreement was the result of negotiations led by Democratic Senators Angus King, Jeanne Shaheen, and Maggie Hassan, alongside several Republican senators, as reported by Politico.
- According to Bloomberg, the agreement allows Congress to approve funding for departments including Agriculture and Veterans Affairs through January 30, 2019.
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US Government Reopens After Record 35-Day Shutdown
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Last updated november 10, 2023, at 02:19:52 AM PST
End to the Longest Shutdown in US History
Washington D.C. – After 35 days of impasse, the US federal government reopened on January 27, 2019, as Republican and Democratic senators reached an agreement to restore funding and pay to hundreds of thousands of federal employees. this marked the end of the longest federal government shutdown in United States history, surpassing the previous record of 21 days set in 1995-1996.
Negotiations and Key Players
The preliminary agreement was the result of negotiations led by Democratic Senators Angus King, Jeanne Shaheen, and Maggie Hassan, alongside several Republican senators, as reported by Politico.
Funding and Salary restoration
According to Bloomberg, the agreement allows Congress to approve funding for departments including Agriculture and Veterans Affairs through January 30, 2019. Crucially, it provides for the back payment of salaries to approximately 800,000 federal civil servants-a figure revised from the initially reported 650,000-who had been working without pay or were furloughed during the shutdown. Some suspended officials were also reinstated.
Congressional Approval and House Vote
The Senate began voting on the agreement on January 27, 2019, as reported by Fox News. However, the house of Representatives also needed to approve the measure to officially end the shutdown, which stemmed from a lack of agreement on extending the US budget.
Obamacare Subsidies as a Key Concession
A significant component of the agreement involved a commitment from Republican Senate Majority Leader John thune to schedule a vote in December 2019 on legislation to extend subsidies for the affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare. These subsidies were set to expire at the end of the year and had been a major sticking point in negotiations.
President Trump’s Response
Upon his return to the White House from mar-a-Lago, Florida, President Donald Trump stated, “We are closer to an agreement to end the closure.”
as reported by NBC News.
Impact of the Shutdown
The 35-day shutdown had widespread consequences, including the suspension of salaries for hundreds of thousands of federal employees, disruptions to essential government services, delays in food stamp payments for low-income individuals, and significant travel delays due to staffing shortages at airports and air traffic control facilities. Many federal workers were forced to rely on food banks or emergency loans to cope with the loss of income, while others continued working without pay.