Following a deal reached in the Senate to extend federal government spending through January 30, the Senate and House passed a continuing resolution to reopen the federal government. The bill passed the House and was signed into law on November 12. Federal employees have been asked to return to work to begin the process of reopening federal operations and facilities, which may take several days.
The proposal also funds SNAP benefits through September 30, funds backpay to federal employees, and agrees to allow a vote on healthcare subsidy issues in December. The package also included a “minibus” with full-year funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Veterans Affairs and military construction, and Congressional operations.
Looking ahead to the federal budget deadline on January 30, cities should take time to educate their delegation of the importance of federal funding for cities and their communities as they work on finalizing full-year budgets for the remaining agencies. Read more from the National League of Cities on impacts to cities and key messages.
Senate compromise sets stage to reopen federal government
November 12, 2025
A deal reached in the Senate to extend federal government spending through January 30 set the stage for the Senate and House to approve a continuing resolution to reopen the federal government. Eight Senate Democrats voted on Monday, November 10 to support the compromise, allowing it to move forward. The House will vote on the proposal Wednesday, November 12.
The proposal also funds SNAP benefits through September 30, funds backpay to federal employees, and agrees to allow a vote on healthcare subsidy issues in December. The package includes full-year funding for USDA and FDA, Veterans Affairs and military construction, and Congressional operations – all of which have passed out of committees.
Today’s approval ends the historically longest, 43-day federal government shutdown.
SNAP benefits resume payments for November as federal shutdown continues
November 7, 2025
Washington State has released full SNAP benefits for November to individuals who were expecting payments in the first week of November. The restart of payments follows a series of court decisions requiring the US Department of Agriculture to use its contingency funding to continue benefits during the shutdown and guidance from the federal government in the last week. Payments due in subsequent weeks are also expected to reflect full monthly allotments for November.
Meanwhile, negotiations continue in Congress to find a compromise to reopen the federal government, but there is no clear path forward. NLC continues to urge communities to contact their Congressional delegation to urge them to reach agreement on reopening the government. NLC and seven state and local government associations recently sent this letter to Congress to urge them to end the federal government shutdown.
Resources for communities and federal employees impacted by the prolonged shutdown are linked below.
Resources for communities as federal shutdown continues
October 31, 2025
As the federal government shutdown nears the one-month mark, take a moment to encourage your congressional delegation to reach an agreement to reopen the government and share the importance of federal funds and programs in your community. The National League of Cities (NLC) has an action letter you can submit to your members of Congress outlining the impacts of federal programs for local communities. NLC also has compiled resources, developed a checklist of actions for local officials to assist their impacted community members and collected examples of impacted communities. NLC also has compiled links to financial resources for federal employees impacted by the shutdown.
Washington is tracking state impacts and has compiled financial resources for federal workers impacted by the ongoing impacts of the shutdown. The Employment Security Department has compiled a rapid response website for workforce assistance.
The state has also taken steps to backfill funding for food banks to help address the expected increased need from the loss of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance funds that were expected to run out November 1 if a budget deal was not reached. However, an October 31 ruling in the legal challenge brought by 26 states, including Washington, ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use its contingency funding to continue paying benefits during the shutdown. It is uncertain at this time how quickly the program could restart providing funding or if the case will be appealed. The state estimates that 1 million Washingtonians rely on the federal SNAP program, with approximately $37 million in federal funds going to households across Washington every week.
If you receive questions from individuals needing food assistance, you can refer them to 211 for food resources or to locate a local program.
Resources to federal employees
Community assistance
Federal shutdown continues with no clear path towards agreement on a continuing resolution
October 17, 2025
The partial federal government shutdown continues as Congress struggles to make any progress in negotiating a continuing resolution to re-open the federal government. The partial shutdown has been in place since October 1. However, they have been unsuccessful so far.
Read NLC’s new fact sheet with suggestions on messages for your Congressional delegation about the importance of federal funding in cities and projects that may be at risk if an agreement on the budget is not reached. Read NLC's examples of impacts in communities, including Tacoma.
If your city has experienced a direct impact from the shutdown, please share that with AWC.
Federal government begins partial shutdown
September 29, 2025
Congress failed to reach agreement on a continuing resolution before the September 30 deadline to avoid a federal government shutdown. Federal agencies have begun the process of implementing a partial shutdown. The National League of Cities (NLC) released a statement urging a compromise and has resource materials and a video about the importance of passing a continuing resolution to restore federal government operations and working towards consensus and bipartisan compromise on a budget for cities, which rely on federal funding.
The House passed a temporary budget extension through November 21 earlier this month, but this and other proposals to temporarily extend the budget failed in the Senate. Negotiations continue as federal agencies begin to implement their shutdown plans.
Cities need to continue educating their congressional delegation about priority federal grant programs supporting cities and towns, and their importance in local government operations and services. For example, on average every $1.00 of Community Development Block Grant funding for local governments produces just over $4.00 in additional economic activity.
A federal shutdown can also mean a delay in federal funding distributions, temporary closures of federal facilities like national parks, or a pause in federally funded programs and services like passport processing. It may also mean federal employees in local communities will not be paid during a shutdown. Mandatory programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security checks are not affected by a shutdown.
The last federal government shutdown in 2018-2019 lasted 34 days, and the previous shutdown in 1995-1996 lasted 21 days.
Additional resources: