Please pay attention to the second week of December. And look out for January 30, 2026, when the shutdown crisis could begin again.
Senate signs deal to end historic government shutdown
Lawmakers agree to end longest government shutdown in history and reopen government through January 30th
WASHINGTON – There may be a deal to end the government shutdown, but that doesn’t mean the lights will automatically turn on.
Lawmakers must vote again this week to approve the package in both chambers. Americans are under increased time pressure as they deal with food stamp suspensions and flight cancellations weeks before the holidays.
And even if they succeed, there is a deadline of January 30th to avoid doing it all over again. Mark your calendar for the next big moments as closures continue into a record sixth week.
- this week: Starting Monday, November 10th, proposals to reopen the government will begin passing through both the House and Senate. House members have been given a 36-hour notice to leave, leaders announced late Sunday.
- thanksgiving: Congressional leaders said they expect the shutdown to end by the holidays. Sunday’s agreement makes that claim even more likely.
- 2nd week of December:The Senate will vote on extending expired Obamacare subsidies. It is unclear whether such a measure will be passed.
- January 30, 2026: A short-term funding bill that lawmakers are expected to pass as soon as this week will keep the government’s lights on until January 30th. If more full-year spending bills are not passed by then, the government could be partially shut down again. Sunday’s agreement also prevents further federal job cuts until that date.
- September 2026: Under a bipartisan framework announced Sunday, funding for food stamps would increase through the end of the next fiscal year, September 30, 2026.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
