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Government Reopens After 43-Day Shutdown as Smithsonian, National Gallery Set Reopenings

A phased restart follows, with persistent backlogs, variable benefit payments by state, and staged museum reopenings.

Travelers walk with their luggage from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
FILE - Students help put away supplies at the end of a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
A cashier scans groceries, including produce, which is covered by the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), at a grocery store in Baltimore, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
FILE - Tammy Norton, a furloughed federal employee of 16 years who currently works for the Internal Revenue Service, reacts with emotion as she talks about running through her limited savings to support her family during the government shutdown, at a food distribution center for federal employees impacted by the government shutdown, Oct. 28, 2025, in Dania Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Overview

  • President Donald Trump signed the congressional spending bill Wednesday night, ending the record 43-day funding lapse, and OMB Director Russ Vought directed agencies to recall furloughed employees Thursday.
  • The legislation guarantees back pay for federal workers, though deposit timing will vary by agency payroll systems, with many payments expected within days and some rolling to the next cycle.
  • SNAP is funded through September 2026, yet beneficiaries are seeing inconsistent November disbursements because restart timelines differ by state.
  • The Smithsonian will reopen in stages: the National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on Friday, the National Zoo on Saturday, and remaining sites by Monday.
  • The National Gallery of Art resumes public hours Friday, with its postponed exhibition “The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art” opening to the public on Saturday.