The longest U.S. federal government shutdown ended on Nov. 12 after 43 days when President Donald Trump signed a funding bill allowing federal employees to be paid again and food assistance programs to continue.
The shutdown strained low-income families, veterans, federal workers and more. Some people still feel frustrated with the event outcomes.
Tiffany Dang, 19, business major, said she felt upset over the shutdown and that the situation felt intense.
“Benefits were being taken away, “ Dang said. “Employees couldn’t receive paychecks.”
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought wrote in a memo that federal workers and agencies would return to work on Nov. 13.
Office of Personnel Management Associate Director Veronica Hinton wrote that the government would give federal workers back pay as soon as possible.
“I can’t imagine how it must have felt not receiving payments,” Paloma Herrera, 19, biology major, said. “Everyone has something or someone to take care of. It’s already difficult being under this government’s laws.”
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which California calls CalFresh, gives about 42 million people nationwide approximately $100 billion annually, disbursing an average of $187 a month per person.
“I know people who benefit from food stamps,” Matthew Nguyen, 21, accounting major, said. “They were worried about it being taken away.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said its services would return to normal production at the beginning of December 2025.
“The reason I could attend school is because of it (financial aid),” Herrera said. “I was worried about what would happen regarding the grants and my application status.”
On Oct. 1, Federal Student Aid, the Department of Education office that oversees financial aid, wrote that the shutdown would minimally impact students and schools, and that it would keep “all core operations” running.
“I was glad to know that it (the shutdown) wouldn’t stop funds,” said Dang. “I kept checking to see for updates on my application as I was still worried about something happening.”
The shutdown closed the FSA’s call and email services but on Nov. 12, the agency wrote that it would resume those services.
Trump did not include Affordable Care Act tax subsidies in the continuing resolution, which has quadrupled some ACA enrollees’ healthcare premiums and doubled the average private premium. The Congressional Budget Office projected that the cuts will kick almost four million people off insurance.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune will hold a vote in December on whether to extend ACA tax credits.
“I hope that the healthcare system is fixed,” said Nguyen. “People should be able to receive care and not be worried about it being taken away.”
