The federal government is fully reopening today after Congress passed a bipartisan agreement to end the shutdown that had brought agencies to a halt and forced hundreds of thousands of federal workers into uncertainty. President Trump signed the measure shortly after it cleared both chambers overnight, restoring funding and authorizing agencies to resume normal operations.
While offices are reopening across Washington and beyond, many agencies face a backlog that will take days — in some cases weeks — to unwind. Employees returning to work are sorting through delayed services, paused benefits processing, and disrupted operations that affected everything from airport staffing to federal courts.
The agreement approved by lawmakers keeps the government funded for now, but it does little to ease broader concerns about governing by crisis. Members of both parties acknowledged that the shutdown’s economic and operational fallout will linger, especially for federal workers who faced days without pay and for Americans who depend on government services.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has urged members to remain in Washington this week as Congress prepares for another round of negotiations on longer-term funding. With deadlines layered throughout the winter, lawmakers are bracing for fresh battles even as the government restarts.
For now, federal agencies are turning the lights back on — and millions of Americans are watching to see how long they stay that way.
