Federal Government Opens After Brief Shutdown

Large swaths of the federal government, including the Department of Education, have reopened after a partial shutdown that lasted from January 31-February 3.

The final FY 2026 funding package that was passed and signed by President Trump, thus ending the shutdown, is made up of five full year funding bills. The package includes Labor-HHS-Education, which funds the student aid programs. In a bipartisan vote, Congress rejected proposed cuts to the federal student aid programs and level-funded them for the award year starting July 1. 2026.

The Senate amended the original House-passed package by changing funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to a two-week continuing resolution. The short CR for DHS is intended to foster quick negotiations on additional oversight of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency being demanded by Democrats.

The Senate passed the amended version on January 30 by a vote of 71 to 29, requiring the bill to return to the House for an additional vote. Because the House was not in session at the time, it could not act on the measure, a delay that ultimately led to the shutdown.

When the House returned, the amended package passed with a bipartisan vote of 217-215 on February 3, and was sent to the White House where the president signed it later that day.

The FY2027 appropriations process is due to kick into gear shortly, with President Trump’s budget expected to be released in the coming weeks in conjunction with his February 24 State of the Union address.

For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Giesecke