Legislation aimed at ending the government shutdown and providing three full-year Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills has been signed into law. The measure was coauthored by U.S. Senator Susan Collins, who serves as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Senator Collins released a statement regarding the legislation’s passage:
“Tonight, we finally put an end to the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history, which has caused completely unnecessary harm to so many families in Maine and across the country, as well as to our national and economic security.
“As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and with members of the House of Representatives and Administration to resolve the stalemate before America’s dedicated public servants missed yet another paycheck. I am pleased that under our legislation, all federal employees, including members of our military and Coast Guard, Capitol Police officers, Border Patrol agents, TSA screeners, and air traffic controllers will receive their back wages.
“Since the beginning of the shutdown, I have been pushing for the three appropriations bills that previously passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support to be attached to a continuing resolution to reopen government. These bills include important funding that will support our veterans, troops, farmers, and rural communities, and provide full-year funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
"I thank Leader Thune for his commitment to bringing full-year appropriations bills to the floor, and I look forward to our continued work on appropriations legislation.”
The new law ensures federal employees will receive back pay after missing paychecks during the shutdown. It also allocates funds for programs supporting veterans, service members, farmers, rural areas, SNAP recipients, and WIC beneficiaries.
