With the midterm campaign behind them, members of Congress are back at work this week on unfinished business, starting with keeping the government open.
Back in September, lawmakers moved to avoid a disruptive funding lapse ahead of the elections. The House voted 370 to 48 on September 1 to approve a stopgap spending bill, after the Senate had already passed its own bipartisan version, 90 to 6, before leaving for summer recess. President Trump signed the measure, known as H.R. 6500 and now Public Law 119-103, into law on September 2. It keeps federal agencies funded at current levels through Friday, December 11, 2026.
The decision to fund the government through the election, rather than risk a fight in the weeks before voters went to the polls, came after a difficult recent history. The previous shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, lasted 43 days and stands as the longest in U.S. history, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay for weeks and disrupting services around the country. Neither party wanted a repeat collision with this year's midterms.
Congress reconvened for its lame-duck session on Monday, November 9. Lawmakers now have roughly a month, interrupted by the Thanksgiving recess beginning November 26, to negotiate full-year spending bills or another stopgap before the December 11 deadline. Other items on the calendar include the Community Health Center Fund, which is due to expire at the end of the year.
For everyday Americans, the practical effect of the September deal was straightforward: federal agencies, from national parks to the Social Security Administration, continued operating without interruption through the fall and the election, something that was not guaranteed given how recent fights over funding have gone. Federal employees and contractors who endured the prior shutdown, many of whom missed multiple paychecks or had to seek loans to cover bills, will be watching closely to see whether this round of negotiations avoids a repeat.
Negotiators will be working against the clock through Thanksgiving week, with December 11 marking the next point at which funding could lapse if no deal is reached.
Is the government currently shut down?
No. The government is funded through December 11, 2026, under a stopgap law signed in September.
What happens after December 11?
Current funding expires at the end of that day, so Congress needs to pass new funding legislation, full-year bills or another stopgap, before then to avoid a lapse.