40 Days! Is the Longest US Government Shutdown in History Nearing Its End?

On Sunday evening (November 9, local time), the US Senate passed a motion to proceed with debate on the Continuing Resolution (CR) by a vote of 60-40, signaling that the 40-day federal government shutdown is nearing its end.

President Donald Trump, upon returning to the White House that evening, stated, "It looks like we're very close to ending the shutdown. You'll find out very soon."

This Continuing Resolution attaches three long-term spending bills, known as a "minibus," to the House-passed version and extends government funding authority until the end of January next year. As a key part of the negotiations, the deal also makes concessions to Democrats by agreeing to hold a vote in December on a proposal to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits.

Matt Gertken, Chief US Political Strategist at the global investment consulting firm BCA Research, analyzed for a First Financial reporter that if the shutdown had persisted into the peak travel period ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, flight delays and public discontent could have erupted intensively. From a political perspective, it was nearly impossible to allow the shutdown to continue into Thanksgiving week. Simultaneously, as Democrats secured consecutive victories in local elections in states like Virginia, New Jersey, and California, internal pressure within the Republican Party mounted, giving them an incentive to resolve the impasse promptly.

"However, this budget standoff won't completely disappear. If the issue of health insurance subsidies isn't fundamentally resolved, Congress might need to address it again before Christmas," he said.

The agreement also stipulates the rescission of over 4,000 furlough notices issued to federal employees during the shutdown and explicitly prohibits any "furlough actions" before January 30, 2026. The employment status of all affected employees will be reinstated retroactively to September 30, 2025, with corresponding back pay provided. The bill further ensures that furloughed civil servants receive full compensation and mandates that federal agencies submit written reports to Congress detailing the rescission of furloughs and the payment of back wages.