After nearly a month and a half and a lot of finger-pointing, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history has come to an end.
President Donald Trump signed a spending bill last night, which officially reopened the government after 43 days.
The bill passed in the Senate on Monday with a 60-40 vote, with eight Democrats crossing party lines to compromise with Republicans.
The House was a much closer vote, with 222 representatives voting to approve, including six Democrats, while 209 voted against it, including two Republican legislators.
Congressman Glenn Grothman said after the passage, “It’s disappointing that Senate Democrats dragged the American people through weeks of uncertainty only to accept the same deal that was available before the shutdown…As we look ahead to January 31st, I hope Democrat leadership will put governing ahead of political games so we can provide stability for the American people.”
The shutdown didn’t just affect government workers, but millions of American citizens, most notably those who depend on SNAP or FoodShare benefits.
Locally, Grow it Forward Founder and CEO Amber Daugs noted that there are a lot of people.
“We’re talking about $1,000,000 in our local economy spent this last month on SNAP benefits. That’s an average of $4.91 per person per day,” Daugs explained.
In fact, over 7,500 Manitowoc County residents utilize SNAP, according to the 2025 FoodWIse Year-End Report.
Daugs also told SeehaferNews.com that Grow it Forward saw a 168% increase in the number of people who utilized the pantry while SNAP benefits were delayed.
