The Senate approved a funding bill in a 60-40 vote to end the longest government shutdown in United States history, an impasse that reached 41 days and disrupted workers and social programs. The measure now moves to the House of Representatives for a vote expected on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 around 4:00 PM ET. If approved and signed by the President, it would reopen essential federal operations and ease immediate economic pressures.
The initiative is a continuing resolution that funds the government at fiscal year 2025 levels through January 30, 2026, designed as a temporary solution after the stalemate that began on October 1, 2025. A bipartisan coalition emerged as eight centrist Democratic senators joined nearly all Republicans to pass the text after weeks of partisan blocks over spending levels, cuts to foreign aid, and health subsidies tied to the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
The shutdown left tangible consequences: hundreds of thousands of federal employees were furloughed and about 700,000 worked without pay. Programs such as SNAP and WIC were put at risk, and IRS activity suffered interruptions. Analysts cited in the tally estimate that each week of paralysis can shave between 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points off GDP growth, illustrating the accumulated macroeconomic cost of the dispute.
Context and Senate dynamics
A continuing resolution is a temporary rule that authorizes public spending at prior levels when new budgets have not been passed. Its provisional nature means that, even if the shutdown is reversed, the solution postpones political negotiation until the deadline set in the resolution.
Senate approval reduces immediate pressure on markets and services, but it leaves governance and fiscal risk questions open. If the House ratifies the measure and the Presidency signs it into law, the reopening will be an operational relief; however, the extension through January 30, 2026 merely shifts the dispute to a new negotiation cycle.
For markets and financial agents, regulatory and budgetary uncertainty increased liquidity costs and operational risk during the shutdown. The temporary reopening can restore confidence in the short term, but the likelihood of renewed political friction keeps a risk premium on investment decisions and planning by entities that depend on federal contracts.
The next milestone is the House vote scheduled for the afternoon of November 12, 2025; if approved and enacted, the resumption of federal activity will be immediate, although definitive agreements will still be required before January 30, 2026.
