--- title: How Soon Will the Government Shutdown End? description: It could take all week for a deal made in the Senate to reach Trump's desk, allowing shuttered agencies to reopen. Here's what to know canonical: https://time.com/7332596/government-shutdown-update-end-date/ author: Nik Popli article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-11-10T16:15:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T08:12:49.134Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why It Could Take All Week to End the Government Shutdown og:description: It could take all week for a deal crafted in the Senate to reach Trump's desk, allowing shuttered agencies to reopen og:url: https://time.com/7332596/government-shutdown-update-end-date/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12ba0811e2410355/6998cb80c8dcb471bcb50a4b/GettyImages-2245405314.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Lawmakers Continue To Negotiate Funding Government As Shutdown Stretches Past A Month og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why It Could Take All Week to End the Government Shutdown twitter:description: It could take all week for a deal crafted in the Senate to reach Trump's desk, allowing shuttered agencies to reopen twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12ba0811e2410355/6998cb80c8dcb471bcb50a4b/GettyImages-2245405314.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why It Could Take All Week to End the Government Shutdown > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=5d5da254-e834-4782-98e5-fd999e9479f9&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Senate Takes First Step Toward Ending the Government Shutdown [Watch (HLS stream): Senate Takes First Step Toward Ending the Government Shutdown](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wnxsI1Rh.m3u8) (3:27)  _Published 2025-11-10. The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight._  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Nov 10, 2025 4:15 PM UTC The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight.  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Nov 10, 2025 4:15 PM UTC After 40 days, the [longest government shutdown](https://time.com/7331167/longest-government-shutdown-history/) in American history finally appears to be lurching toward an end. But even after the Senate [broke its stalemate](https://time.com/7332434/shutdown-deal-eight-democrats-senate-continuing-resolution-house-republicans-trump/) Sunday night with a bipartisan vote to advance a stopgap funding measure, it could still take most of the week before federal workers return to their jobs and shuttered agencies reopen. While the Senate’s 60-to-40 vote on Sunday marked the first concrete step toward reopening the government, there are several more steps after that before any legislation will reach President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature, and critics of the deal may slow down its passage. Since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, Democrats and Republicans have been sparring over the future of Affordable Care Act subsidies and a wave of [mass federal layoffs](https://time.com/7325057/government-shutdown-layoffs-trump-vought/) initiated by the Trump Administration. The [agreement](https://time.com/7332434/shutdown-deal-eight-democrats-senate-continuing-resolution-house-republicans-trump/) reached Sunday would fund most federal agencies through January 30\. It also includes a “minibus”—three appropriations bills that would fund veterans’ programs, military construction, agriculture, and congressional operations through September. In exchange for providing the crucial votes needed to advance the package, eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus secured a commitment from Senate Majority Leader John Thune for a December floor vote on extending expiring Obamacare tax credits, and a promise from the White House to reverse the firings of thousands of federal workers and guarantee them back pay. “After 40 long days, I’m hopeful we can bring this shutdown to an end,” Thune said shortly before the vote. The vote represented a rare moment of bipartisan cooperation in a chamber that has been paralyzed for weeks, and it sent a clear signal that the endgame is in sight. But the Senate’s work is not yet finished. Lawmakers must still approve the final version of the continuing resolution and spending package, a process that could take several more days if all 100 senators don’t agree to waive procedural hurdles. “They’ll need unanimous consent from all senators to fast-track their final vote,” Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday morning at a press conference. “As you know, there are some procedural hurdles that one or more could throw in the way, but we certainly hope that they won’t do that, because so many people across this country are desperate for the government to reopen.” After the final Senate vote, the legislation will move to the House, which has not convened since the shutdown began. Johnson said he will call the House to return to Washington “as quickly as possible” after the final Senate vote. “We’ll give a 36-hour formal and official notice so that we can vote as soon as possible to pass the amended CR bill and get it to the President’s desk,” he said. The timeline, in other words, is still fluid. Even if the Senate manages to expedite its work and pass the bill as soon as Monday night or Tuesday, the House would then have to reconvene—likely Wednesday or Thursday—for its own vote. The biggest unknown in the timeline is whether those in the Senate unhappy with the final deal do anything to slow it down. Several progressive Democrats are frustrated that the final deal includes only a promise—rather than a guarantee—of action on health care. And Senator [Rand Paul](https://time.com/7329015/trump-venezuela-war-congress-rand-paul/), a Kentucky Republican who has repeatedly broken with his party, has threatened to delay passage over language in the measure viewed as unfavorable to the hemp industry. Senate leaders are watching both factions warily. “It remains to be seen" how quickly the Senate can get to a final vote, Thune acknowledged Sunday night, adding that he hoped lawmakers would resist the urge to stall progress after six weeks of gridlock. Yet the practical realities of the standoff have become impossible to ignore. The shutdown, now entering its seventh week, has strained everything from food assistance programs to airport operations. The Agriculture Department has warned of lapses in [SNAP benefits](https://time.com/7332329/snap-payments-freeze-supreme-court/), while the Federal Aviation Administration has been forced to cancel thousands of flights to relieve overworked, unpaid controllers. ## Transcript [00:00] On this vote, the yeas are 60 and the nays are 40. [00:03] 3/5 of the Senate duly chosen and sworn. [00:06] Having voted in the affirmative, [00:08] the motion upon reconsideration is agreed to. [00:14] Today, the Senate voted [00:17] to start reopening the government. [00:19] We took a big step forward to [00:21] protect the health care of tens of millions of [00:23] Americans in exchange for funding through January 31st. [00:28] This agreement will give Democrats [00:30] control of the Senate floor [00:31] for a vote on one of our top legislative priorities, [00:35] extending the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. [00:38] This is important when Republicans [00:40] control every branch of government. [00:43] This agreement funds Snap and food assistance programs, [00:46] ensures that law enforcement, [00:48] air traffic controllers, and [00:50] other federal workers get paid. [00:52] Reverses the president's recent reckless layoffs [00:56] and prevents them from happening in the future and, [00:59] crucially, gives Congress a clear path [01:02] forward to protecting people's health care. [01:05] But here's the thing we [01:07] can open the government and we can still [01:09] fight to address this looming health care crisis. [01:13] It is true right now, [01:16] in our states and across the country, [01:18] Americans are seeing higher costs, [01:21] higher premiums for their Affordable Care Act. [01:23] These are people that need access to health care. [01:27] I have families that rely on the Affordable Care Act [01:31] and these subsidies so [01:32] that their children who have a rare disease, [01:34] can access their medication. [01:36] I expect Republicans to be at [01:37] the table in the next few weeks. [01:39] I expect the white House to be at the table. [01:41] And if they do choose not to come to the table, [01:44] they can own the disastrous premium increases [01:48] that will continue to rise. [01:49] I'm thankful to welcome you to what appears to be [01:53] the beginning of the end of [01:55] the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. [01:57] As shameful as that is, [01:59] I don't think it's coincidental. You know how I think. [02:02] But, um, it's after 40 days of wandering in [02:04] the wilderness and making [02:06] the American people suffer needlessly. [02:09] Some Senate Democrats finally [02:11] have stepped forward to end the pain. [02:13] It appears to us this morning that [02:15] our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end, [02:17] and we're grateful for that. [02:19] The Senate's vote last late last night of [02:22] 60 to 40 opens the door. [02:24] Now the Senate is moving forward on an amended House CR, [02:27] a continuing resolution that will [02:29] reopen the government until January 30th. [02:32] Added to that are provisions to fully [02:35] fund Snap provisions through [02:37] the end of the next fiscal year, [02:38] which is September 2026. [02:41] Guaranteed back pay for all federal workers who have been [02:44] made to endure these hardships [02:46] over the last several weeks. [02:47] The Senate will be back in session [02:48] this morning to finish their job, [02:50] and we're certainly praying that they do. [02:53] They'll need unanimous consent from [02:54] all senators to fast track their final vote. [02:57] As you know, there are some procedural hurdles [02:59] that one or more could throw in the way, [03:01] but we certainly hope that they won't do that because [03:03] so many people across [03:05] this country are desperate for the government to reopen. [03:08] Um, at the very moment that they do that final vote, [03:12] I will call all House members to [03:14] return to Washington as quickly as possible. [03:17] We'll give a 36 hour formal [03:20] and official notice so that we can vote as [03:22] soon as possible to pass [03:24] the amended CR bill and get it to the president's desk. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7332596/government-shutdown-update-end-date/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7332596/government-shutdown-update-end-date/"},"headline":"Why It Could Take All Week to End the Government Shutdown","datePublished":"2025-11-10T16:15:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T08:12:49.134Z","description":"It could take several days for the deal made in the Senate to reach Trump's desk","url":"https://time.com/7332596/government-shutdown-update-end-date/","keywords":["Congress","Explainer"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12ba0811e2410355/6998cb80c8dcb471bcb50a4b/GettyImages-2245405314.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nik Popli","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/nik-popli/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt12ba0811e2410355/6998cb80c8dcb471bcb50a4b/GettyImages-2245405314.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Lawmakers Continue To Negotiate Funding Government As Shutdown Stretches Past A Month","caption":"Lawmakers Continue To Negotiate Funding Government As Shutdown Stretches Past A Month","creditText":"Anna Rose Layden—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/congress/","name":"Congress"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7332596/government-shutdown-update-end-date/","name":"Why It Could Take All Week to End the Government Shutdown"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Senate Takes First Step Toward Ending the Government Shutdown","description":"The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/wnxsI1Rh/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2025-11-10T17:28:38.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wnxsI1Rh.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7332596/government-shutdown-update-end-date/","duration":"PT3M27S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7332596/government-shutdown-update-end-date/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```