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Senate agreement offers path to end record shutdown

In US Senate News by Newsroom November 11, 2025

Senate agreement offers path to end record shutdown

Credit: BBC

Since the shutdown began on October 1st, when all non-essential government operations were suspended due to financial constraints, millions of American lives have been impacted.

The first shutdown in nearly seven years was brought on by lawmakers' inability to approve fresh budget measures during a standoff between Republicans and Democrats over healthcare spending.

The House of Representatives must still accept the modified bill before it can be encouraged to US President Donald Trump for blessing, indeed if the Senate approves it

The law was approved by a 60- 40 maturity, which is the minimum needed to overcome a Senate filibuster, a procedural tactic that gives the nonage party the capability to defer or obstruct legislation they oppose. 

"It looks like we're getting very close to the shutdown ending,"

Mr Trump told reporters at the White House prior to the vote.

Republicans and a few Democrats who disagreed with their party's leadership struck the deal, which called for a vote on prolonging subsidies in December.

Federal worker unions and their allies would benefit from the plan, which would forbid federal agencies from terminating employees until January 30.

At least 300,000 government workers are anticipated to go by the end of this time as a result of Mr. Trump's denting action. 

When the civil government shuts down, all unnecessary government operations are suspended. 

Everything will be impacted, including access to public premises , social security, and air travel. 

In order for the chairman to subscribe to budget legislation for the forthcoming financial time, civil agencies must admit backing approval from Congress. 

How would this deal affect federal worker pay and backpay?

As part of the Senate agreement to forestall the government arrestment, it includes language icing that civil workers are made whole by entering backpay for the entire redundancy period retroactively once the arrestment concludes. 

The legislation states that any reduction in the force (RIF) pursued, effectuated, or proposed between October 1 and the date of enactment will have no force or effect, and workers will be made whole for all pay they would have and should have entered during that period of redundancy.

Though the law requiring compensation of furloughed employees existed prior to the agreement (the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019), some skepticism existed in the administration about guaranteed backpay for federal workers, whether because it may have been viewed as ungrateful to call employees back, or that it is anticipated that unions would not accept backpay for 99% of the organizations workforce.