The 43-day-long gridlock and uncertainty finally ended on Thursday as President Donald Trump signed a bill to end the longest federal shutdown in US history, bringing a sigh of relief to thousands of federal workers, millions of Americans who rely on SNAP food assistance and travellers across the US who have been impacted with cut in flights.
“Today we are sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion,” said Donald Trump in a message to Democrats.
Stating that when we come up to midterms and other things, don’t forget what they’ve done to our country, Trump added, “With my signature, the federal government… will now resume normal operations.”
However, even though the shutdown is now over, the emotional and economic toll and the ripple effects of the weeks-long logjam are far from over. The federal employees will now return to work and agencies will scramble to resume services, but the question about pack pay, delayed benefits, and when disrupted flight operations fully return to normal, continues to linger.
— According to reports, federal agencies and the Department of Health and Human Service have asked staff members to return to work.
— 6,70,000 furloughed civil servants will report back to work,
— Over 60,000 air traffic controllers and airport security staff will get back pay.
Will flight operations fully resume?
Over the next few days, air travel delays across the United States are likely to continue as several flights remain cancelled, though there may be an improvement in delays as air traffic controllers return to work. Authorities would aim to lift flight reductions at major airports within a week, said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an order mandating that airlines cut flights at 40 airports, and today the agency announced that reductions will remain at 6%. However, according to aviation experts, flights will not immediately return to normal after the federal government reopens.
“We are pleased the government shutdown is over, and we’re already seeing significantly fewer air traffic control staffing shortages, which is leading to reduced delays and cancellations for our customers,” said American Air.
The airline added that they are ready to ramp up, but they expect some lingering delays and cancellations as air traffic control and FAA return to normal operations.
Delta Airlines said that they look forward to bringing our operations back to full capacity over the next few days and delivering the premium experience to our customers.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford said that their top priority is, and always will be, safety.
When will controllers get pay?
According to Sean Duffy, controllers would get 70% of their missed pay within 24 to 48 hours after the government reopens. Whereas, the remaining pay would come about one week later.
Backlog a major worry
Gibson Jones, president of the National Treasury Employees Union Local 98 in Memphis, told CNN that the Internal Revenue Service, backlogs in tax filings from those who filed for extensions will take ‘two to three months to catch up’.
An education employee told the broadcaster that it was ‘heart-wrenching’ to see the emails piling up, including with desperate pleas from parents of disabled children.
At the FDA, it will take days to get labs used to test food and prevent food-borne illnesses.
When will federal workers get pay?
During the previous shutdown, employees were paid in a few days, but this time it may take time. According to CBC, under the 2019 law, workers who miss paychecks during a lapse in federal funding must be paid retroactively, as soon as the shutdown ends.
Jacqueline Simon, policy director at the American Federation of Government Employees, told CNN that it could take longer as many human resources staffers at agencies were furloughed.
When will SNAP benefits get restored?
Although there is no clear timeline for that disbursement of SNAP benefit (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which impacted food access for some 42 million Americans during the shutdown, beneficiaries are expected to see their accounts fully restored within hours of the federal government reopening, reported NYT.
During the shutdown, many states maintained full SNAP benefits by using emergency funds.
The USDA told USA TODAY that payments should resume within 24 hours for most states upon the government reopening.
