The US government is limping back to life after the longest shutdown in US history snarled air traffic, cut food assistance to low-income Americans and forced more than one million workers to go unpaid for more than a month.
The federal government began reopening yesterday morning after President Trump signed into law a spending package that narrowly passed the House, ending the shutdown. “With my signature, the federal government will now resume normal operations,” Trump said as he signed the legislation alongside Republican House leadership and business executives.
The funding package contains few guardrails to restrain Trump from withholding spending, in an administration that has regularly challenged Congress’ constitutional authority over money.
And it does not address the soon-to-expire health subsidies that led Senate Democrats to begin the shutdown in the first place. The shutdown also exposed divides within the Democratic Party between its liberal base, which has demanded its leaders do whatever necessary to rein in Trump, and moderates who feel their options are limited so long as Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is facing calls to step down, even though he voted against the deal.
Roughly 1.4m federal workers, who had toiled without pay through the shutdown, will begin to receive back pay tomorrow with all payments due to be completed by Wednesday, the White House said. Trump’s White House had threatened to withhold pay for some of those workers, though there was no indication that it would do so.
“I’m happy to see all my coworkers again. I brought in some pastries for everybody so we can enjoy our first day back,” said federal employee Stanley Stocker as he arrived at the Department of the Interior.
Trump fired several thousand workers during the shutdown, but the funding deal that reopened the government ensures they will keep their jobs. Trump’s administration ordered agencies to revoke their dismissals within five days.
The deal pauses Trump’s broader downsizing campaign until the end of January. Trump is on track to reduce the 2.2m-strong civil service by 300,000 workers by the end of the year.
The nation’s air travel system has begun returning to normal, after thousands of flight cancellations brought on by high absentee rates among the nation’s air traffic controllers. The Department of Homeland Security said it would issue $10,000 bonus checks to airport security screeners who took extra shifts during the shutdown.
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