US President Donald Trump signed the funding bill into law on Wednesday, ending the longest federal government shutdown in the country’s history. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate-backed bill today 222-209, with nearly every Republican voting for it along with a handful of Democrats.
The move reopens the government after a 43-day shutdown that disrupted food benefits for millions of Americans, stopped paychecks for hundreds of thousands of federal workers and caused widespread delays in the nation’s air transportation system.
The law will restore critical programs like SNAP funding and provide much-needed relief to federal workers and families affected by historic shutdowns.
Here’s what Americans can expect now that Donald Trump has signed the bill into law:
Federal workers to return to work
—Signing into law provides immediate financial relief and guarantees job security for the approximately 1.4 million federal employees affected by the shutdown.
Now that the government has reopened, some federal employees and contractors are expected to return to work as early as Thursday morning, as ordered by the White House, the BBC reported.
— The law may also reverse recent efforts by several agencies to implement layoffs during the shutdown and prevent further layoffs of federal employees by Jan. 30, as outlined in the bill.
— But the full impact of the 43-day shutdown is expected to affect Americans for weeks to come.
Will air travel return to normal?
Travelers may continue to feel the effects of the long US government shutdown at airports as more than 900 flights to and from the US were canceled today.
US airports will gradually return to normal operations. It comes after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a reduction in flights at 40 of the country’s biggest airports because air traffic controllers were calling in from work rather than working without pay, the BBC reported.
Food aid provided
One immediate impact of the shutdown was the threat of food benefits for 42 million people. Recipients of the food stamp program will now receive all benefits; however, the amount will vary by state. Here are the expected benefits outlined in the bill:
— The deal would supplement the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP emergency fund, and fully fund child nutrition programs, including free and reduced-price school meals.
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— The WIC food assistance program, which supplies approximately 7 million pregnant women, new mothers and young children, will also receive $8.2 billion, an increase of $603 million over the previous fiscal year, and its contingency fund will also be replenished.
“The bill will also provide $460 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which serves more than 700,000 low-income seniors with monthly food boxes, CNN reported.
Public spaces will be reopened
Public attractions such as national parks, forests, monuments and other properties managed by the federal government will reopen to the public after extended closures.
Although employees will return to their regular duties, it is unclear when exactly those properties will reopen. During the latest US government shutdown, it took four days for the Smithsonian museums to reopen and operate as normal, the BBC reported.
Security for Congress and the Supreme Court
Concerns about the safety of lawmakers and their staff led to specific security allocations in the bill, which will now be put into practice.
— $203.5 million is allocated to strengthen security measures and protect members of the House and Senate in the package. It also provides funding to support the Capitol’s comprehensive physical security requirements and cybersecurity practices, CNN reported.
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— $852 million is provided for the U.S. Capitol Police and an additional $28 million for the protection and security of Supreme Court justices.
Medical care for veterans
The bill is also expected to significantly boost funding for veterans’ medical care.
— The bill said it would provide $115 billion for Veterans Affairs medical care when enacted, an increase of more than $2.3 billion over the previous fiscal year.
— Funding includes support for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund, rural health, caregivers, women’s health, veterans homelessness prevention, mental health and child care.
New Congressional Notification Requirement
A provision was also included in the bill that mandated a new level of transparency from law enforcement.
— The deal requires the Justice Department and the FBI to notify the Senate when a lawmaker is under investigation and if his personal information is subpoenaed.
— The language follows Senate Republicans releasing FBI records related to an investigation called Arctic Frost into a 2020 election fraud scheme in which Trump allies pressured GOP voters to register electoral votes for Trump from states won by former President Joe Biden.
Key things
- President Donald Trump signed legislation ending the longest government shutdown in US history, which has lasted 43 days.
- The law restores important programs like SNAP benefits and provides financial relief to approximately 1.4 million federal employees.
- Despite the government’s reopening, the effects of the shutdown may continue to affect services and federal operations for several weeks.
