Jose Rodriguez/THE RIDER
The federal government reopened Nov. 12 after a 44-day shutdown, restoring pay for federal employees and restarting stalled programs, according to a U.S. House bill.
The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass funding for the new fiscal year, in part due to a disagreement over health-care tax credits. The temporary deal signed by the president funds most agencies only through Jan. 30, leaving open the possibility of another shutdown early next year, according to a UTRGV political science professor.
Mark Kaswan, a UTRGV political science professor, said the resolution was driven more by political pressure than meaningful compromise.
“It was clearly all politics,” Kaswan said. “Republicans under Trump get their way by threatening or actually causing pain, and Democrats are averse to that. It was almost guaranteed Democrats were going to hit their threshold of pain sooner.”
He said Democrats essentially agreed to set aside their push to extend Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. While they secured a promise for a future vote in the Senate, there is no guarantee the House will take it up.
“Democrats really did not win very much in the short term,” Kaswan said. “People are already receiving notices about increases in health-care costs. But there’s a possibility Democrats may have lost the battle and will win the war next year when the impacts hit during an election year.”
The professor said the shutdown is likely to further erode public trust in federal institutions.
“It underlines the idea that the people in power really don’t care,” he said. “People can’t rely on government because the infighting between the parties makes government so ineffective.”
According to the legislation itself, bill H.R. 5371, the “Continuing Appropriations Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026,” most federal agencies are funded only through Jan. 30, 2026, while three appropriations bills receive full-year funding.
As agencies reopen, most services are expected to resume within days. Programs such as SNAP may face brief delays as the system restarts, though Kaswan said those issues may be resolved by press time.
The deal funds a handful of agencies, including the Department of Agriculture for a full year, but not most of the federal government.
Kaswan said another shutdown is “not unlikely” given the political pressure on Democrats to resist cuts and the lack of incentive for Republicans to compromise.
“There’s not a whole lot of reason for optimism,” he said. “But we can be hopeful. There’s always a chance they will work something out by Jan. 30.”
Desiree Swope, a psychology senior, said the shutdown created uncertainty for her family as they waited to see whether their SNAP benefits would be approved.
“We kept getting told we might not get our SNAP for November or December,” Swope said. “We had to figure out how to budget for a family of six while still paying all our bills.”
She said the delays forced her family to choose between groceries and essentials such as gas or weekly payments.
“It made it difficult because we were having to put off a bill or decide what we could skip to make ends meet,” Swope said.
She said the experience changed how she views the federal government.
“It sucks seeing how much control they have over something so basic,” Swope said. “When the government shuts down, it shuts down our ability to provide.”
She said she hopes lawmakers understand the real-world effects of funding lapses.
“I wish they could see how much this affects people nationwide,” Swope said. “A shutdown isn’t just politics. It affects whether we can put food on the table.”
