The Shutdown is Down!

It lasted forty-three days.

Forty-three days of thick Congress tension, snapping SNAP benefits, and nation-wide chaos. Finally, the end is in sight: but is this a happily ever after? Or is it perhaps something quite the opposite…? 

This year, we had the longest government shutdown in history. The last shutdown happened in 2018, and the one before that occurred in 2013- though this year’s may hold the least political gain of all.

How, then, does a shutdown come to be, you may be wondering? 

The control of government funds is solely in the hands of Congress. Deciding what to do with said funds is a lengthy process which begins with the signing of an appropriations bill (allotting money to specific departments, agencies, and organizations), and then voted on by the Senate and the House of Representatives. Finally, the President signs the bill into law.

Usually shutdowns occur when a disagreement over budget issuing arises before Congress signs the appropriation bill. These debates can come from the president vetoing finished appropriations bills, or from the Democrat and Republican parties controlling varying chambers of Congress.

For more information on who gets furloughed, the cutoff of agencies, and the real-life struggles of a shutdown, check out “U.S. Government Shutdown” or “The US government says they are stopping funding for SNAP benefits” written under the News tab on our website!

The 2025 shutdown transpired because of a dispute between President Trump and the Senate’s Democrats. The Congress Republicans and Democrats blocked the continuing resolution (a type of appropriations bill) fourteen times. 

“Senate Democrats voted against the Republican appropriations legislation because it lacked an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that were temporarily expanded under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.” (Wikipedia) 

However, the Republicans’ argument is this: there are reports showing that the Affordable Care Act, a part of Obamacare, has done more harm than good, as it has raised prices of healthcare and our national debt. 

“Over the last ten years, federal costs for these provisions have exceeded $1.5 trillion,” says Paragon Health Institute. 

Nonetheless, Sunday the ninth was when eight Democrats gave in. Senator Jeanne Shaheen led the negotiation. Earlier, Senator Shaheen had proclaimed that it was a priority to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, but also voiced how she did not want the government to shut down. 

On the ninth, she accepted a pledge from Senate Majority John Thune to take a vote regarding health subsidies in December. This would temporarily settle the issues the Democrats had with the appropriations bill.

Seven other Senators jumped on the pledge: Tim Kaine, Dick Durbin, Maggie Hassan, Angus King, Jacky Rosen, Catherine Cortez, and John Fetterman.

On social media, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said, “I’m sorry to our military, SNAP recipients, gov workers, and Capitol Police who haven’t been paid in weeks…It should’ve never come to this. This was a failure.” 

For the first time in fifty-three days, the House of Representatives met again. On Wednesday the thirteenth, the House voted on a funding bill to reopen the government. The party-line vote was 222-209, with two members not voting. From Washington state, three representatives voted yes and seven voted no.

Why did so many people vote no to resume the government?

In short, many Democrats were nervous to vote yes for a Republican bill. Many Senate Democrats said the shutdown would continue until the Affordable Care Act subsidies were included. But many knew that pushing to include the ACA credits was pointless. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called it a “meaningless gesture.”

“The Democrats were hoping to use the government shutdown for leverage against the Trump administration, fueled by grassroots pressure,” says Axios. 

The November thirteenth agreement ended with little political gain. Here are two of the results: an extension of most government funding through January thirtieth and the funding of food stamps through the 2026 fiscal year.

The fight over healthcare will continue, as the Affordable Care Act expires at the end of the year. The Democrats hope to regroup after splintering in the last stages of the shutdown showdown, and the Republicans begin to create a plan for the next steps following the ACA subsidy expiration. 

This is not by any means the end of the battle. It may, in fact, be just the beginning.

Works Cited

“Democratic senators fear getting ‘hammered’ after ‘No Kings’ for ending shutdown.” The Hill, 20 October 2025, https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5561362-liberal-base-backlash-democrats/. Accessed 13 November 2025.

Desjardins, Lisa. “Breaking down the deal to reopen the government and what comes next.” PBS, 11 November 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/breaking-down-the-deal-to-reopen-the-government-and-what-comes-next. Accessed 12 November 2025.

Fisher, Elliott S., and David Wennberg. “Affordable Care Act – Wikipedia.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordable_Care_Act. Accessed 10 November 2025.

Freking, Kevin. “The shutdown is over, with no winners and much frustration. How did we get here?” PBS, 13 November 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-shutdown-is-over-with-no-winners-and-much-frustration-how-did-we-get-here. Accessed 12 November 2025.

“Government shutdowns in the United States – Wikipedia.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_shutdowns_in_the_United_States#2025. Accessed 10 November 2025.

Groves, Stephen. “8 Democrats voted with Republicans on a shutdown deal. Here’s what they’ve said about why.” PBS, 10 November 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/8-democrats-voted-with-republicans-on-a-shutdown-deal-heres-what-theyve-said-about-why. Accessed 11 November 2025.

Hammond, Jackson. “Obamacare: Overbudget and Underdelivering.” Paragon Health Institute, 28 October 2024, https://paragoninstitute.org/paragon-prognosis/obamacare-overbudget-and-underdelivering/. Accessed 12 November 2025.

Hammond, Jackson. “Obamacare: Overbudget and Underdelivering.” Paragon Health Institute, 28 October 2024, https://paragoninstitute.org/paragon-prognosis/obamacare-overbudget-and-underdelivering/. Accessed 11 November 2025.

“Here’s why Congressional Democrats are furious over the shutdown deal.” Axios, 10 November 2025, https://www.axios.com/2025/11/10/democrats-shutdown-deal-schumer-reaction-explained. Accessed 11 November 2025.

Pahwa, Nitish. Why did Democrats cave on the shutdown?, 13 November 2025, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/11/democrats-cave-shutdown-schumer.html. Accessed 11 November 2025.

Stiles, Matt. “How each House member voted on ending the government shutdown.” CNN, 13 November 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/politics/house-vote-government-shutdown-vis. Accessed 11 November 2025.

“Trump signs government funding bill, ending record 43-day shutdown.” PBS, 13 November 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-signs-government-funding-bill-ending-record-43-day-shutdown. Accessed 10 November 2025.