Congress voted last night to end the 43-day government shutdown. The legislative package includes full-year spending bills for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects, and the operations of Congress. Policymakers will now need to work quickly to resolve differences and negotiate the remaining full-year spending bills to avoid another government shutdown when the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on January 30.
Policymakers also need to discuss any bipartisan path forward on extending the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits that expire this year; a vote to be held in mid-December was promised to Senate Democrats.
The end of the shutdown also means that 42 million people will finally receive full November SNAP benefits. Thanks to the lawsuit led by the National Council of Nonprofits and their coalition partners, including NAO, millions of Americans received critical short-term relief.
Thank you to the nonprofit food banks and food pantries that carried an enormous burden throughout the shutdown, meeting rising demand with fewer resources while federal workers, military families, and millions of low-income households sought help.