The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation to reopen the federal government, following a vote of 222 to 209. The measure, coauthored by Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, had previously passed in the Senate and now awaits the President’s signature.
The bill includes a continuing resolution that will immediately reopen government operations and extend funding through January 30th. All federal workers are set to receive back pay as part of this agreement. The resolution does not contain any controversial policy provisions.
Three full-year appropriations bills are also included in the package: Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; and Legislative Branch appropriations. These bills will provide ongoing funding for programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), and support for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Senator Collins commented on the passage: “This short-term continuing resolution will reopen government immediately, provide back pay to all federal workers, and fund important federal programs on which many Americans rely. The three full-year appropriations bills will support veterans, troops, farmers, and rural communities in Maine and across the country,” said Senator Collins. “As the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I worked hard on this legislation that will finally put an end to this unnecessary and harmful government shutdown, as well as provide full-year funding to important programs like SNAP and WIC.”
The three-bill package had originally passed in the Senate with bipartisan support earlier in August.
For more details about these legislative actions:
- Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026
- Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
- Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Act, 2026
- Legislative Branch Act, 2026
