Picture of U.S Capital Building, Matthew Bornhorst, Unsplash.

On Sunday, the Senate, which had been negotiating all weekend, struck a deal that would bring federal workers back into the office and resume business as usual. This deal was extremely anticipated, awaiting action after a long 41 days. Democrats and Republicans alike have been in constant debate over what it means to strike a balance between cutting healthcare subsidies and food services to the public, like SNAP under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

Voting, however, has depended on Democrats, needing a total of six additional votes to pass this crisis in the Senate. Democrats are set to extend these votes as long as a few criteria are met, including the promise of revisiting the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in December, which was the main issue from the start of this shutdown.  

This end to the shutdown can be attributed to a few things: first being the lack of air traffic controllers and cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration, which, according to CNN, “mandated a 4% cut to flights… compounded by air traffic control staffing problems.” This has profoundly hit and hurt many Americans, and the safety of those on land and in flight. 

Traditionally, shutdowns do not remove federal employees from their positions altogether, but simply pause their payment until the government is in session again and Congress has come to a consensus on the issue. However, President Trump has taken this time of paused jobs and programming to fulfill his agenda, since early spring of 2025, to cut the size of the federal workforce drastically. 

Nonetheless, according to FlightAware, more than 7,000 flights have been delayed due to cuts and shutdown pauses. This is a sure motivation for Senate members to make a deal now, before the upcoming holidays. 

Similarly, the issue of SNAP food benefits has been a grave concern. These government-funded food stamps, which would go out to those in need, have been stopped as of Nov. 1. This is due to the length of the shutdown and arguments from the Republicans on cutting and budgeting.

According to CNN, “The number of visitors at a Los Angeles food bank has doubled since the government shutdown.” And in more rural, impoverished areas, this could be an even more sickening, harsh reality, especially in the face of the coming winter season.

The new stopgap funding measure that Senate Republicans have proposed would keep the government running until at least January. It would also be paired with a full-year appropriations bill that would deal with “military construction and veterans affairs, the legislative branch, and the Department of Agriculture,” said CNN. If this package goes through the Senate, it would have to pass in the House and eventually the President’s office.