President Trump signed a funding bill late Wednesday evening to reopen the federal government, which has ended the longest shutdown of the federal government in U.S. history.
The House approved the bill just hours earlier in a 222-209 vote with nearly every Republican and six Democrats voting for it.
The bill keeps the government running through January and included the agriculture appropriations bill, which will largely fund USDA programs through September 30, 2026. However, several expiring farm bill programs and provisions were extended without additional funding.
Approximately 670,000 federal workers were furloughed during the 43-day shutdown.
Several ag leaders have issued statements following the news that the shutdown had ended.
Jed Bower, President of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA):
“The actions from Congress come as a relief to the nation’s corn growers who use federal programs for farm loans, grants and technical assistance.
“Corn growers also see today’s development as an inflection point. We are approaching year’s end, and, despite opportunities to do so, Congress has not voted on legislation that would allow consumers across the country to access E15 year-round. Passage of this legislation would bolster the nation’s energy security, save drivers money at the pump and help corn growers considerably by increasing demand. We strongly urge Congress to pass this legislation right away and will continue our meetings with members of Congress to call for action.”
Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation:
“Farm Bureau applauds the House for its vote to end the government shutdown, swiftly following the Senate’s vote. Farmers and ranchers rely on critical USDA services and disaster relief programs during these tough economic times, as do Americans who need access to food assistance programs and other services.
Ethan Lane, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA):
“American cattle producers need the federal government running at full capacity to provide critical services and market data. We thank Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Thune for passing the funding package to end the shutdown and extend the Farm Bill. While we’re grateful to the Trump administration for easing the burden of the shutdown on producers, it still caused widespread disruptions, and we are glad it is now resolved.”
