By Moriah Schranz

On Nov. 12, the United States government shutdown finally ended. This 43 day shutdown, beginning Oct. 1, was the longest in US history.

A U.S. government shutdown occurs when Congress does not pass a budget in time. This 2025 shutdown occurred largely due to a disagreement over the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits. This disagreement was largely partisan based. Democrats insisted the tax credits made the budget while Republicans pushed back.

The effects of a government shutdown can vary from person to person. During this time, many federal workers are often put on furlough, unpaid leave. For others, they must work even without pay.

Junior Amir Davis expressed that his mother, a federal worker, experienced difficulties during this time.

“She was working with no pay,” Davis said. “They said that they would compensate, but that is still a long time without pay.”

Amir also shared the discrepancies within his mothers workplace.

“Some people got to stay at home, but my mom still had to work. Those people are still getting paid.”

Many spouses of Maury faculty faced similar problems. English teacher Ashley Sweeney shared her husband’s experience with the shutdown as a member of the military.

“He is deployed to the coast of Venezuela right now, “Sweeney said. “He was still paid, because he was active military, but if the government hadn’t reopened by the 15th of November, then it would have started to affect us and he wouldn’t have gotten paid. We were lucky that the government reopened before then. We applied for Navy Federal interest free loans just in case we got to that point. They give you your paycheck with no interest.”

Despite this, Sweeney added that there was a shift in his workplace.

“They didn’t let him get certain equipment during that time,” Sweeney said.

Kristin Pasko, another English teacher at Maury, has a husband who works for the Department of Homeland Security.

“He had to go work for the Coast Guard everyday,” said Pasko. “He couldn’t order any new equipment or materials because the government wasn’t spending. It was hard for him.”

During a government shutdown, government services slow down or stop. These include Medicare and Medicaid, postal services, air traffic control, social security checks and more. There may also be a delay in government programs during these times that affect school grants or federal housing programs.

On Nov. 14,  A bipartisan group of Senators agreed to fund the government temporarily and the shutdown ended.

The “continuing resolution” funds the government until Jan. 30, 2026, rehires the estimated 4,000 federal workers fired during the shutdown, and reinstalls SNAP benefits until September 2026. This deal, however, does not extend the ACA tax credits. Instead, it postpones this decision to January.

If the government cannot come to a consensus in January, there is the possibility of another government shutdown. For now, the shutdown’s effects remain while families and communities recover.