After 43 long days, Congress reached an agreement to end the government shutdown. The agreement funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (including SNAP benefits) and the Department of Veterans Affairs through September 2026 and maintains 2025 funding levels for all other federal government agencies and programs through January 30, 2026.
This means Congress has until January 30, 2026, to reach a deal on funding bills for all other federal agencies and programs, except for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The agreement also reinstates all federal employees who received Reduction in Force (RIF) notices – or layoffs – during the shutdown, bans new RIFs until January 2026, and provides backpay to all working and furloughed federal workers who haven’t been paid since September 30, 2025. The Office of Personnel Management has said that federal employees could start to receive backpay as early as Sunday, with a goal of getting all federal employees paid by Wednesday, November 19th.
What Does this Mean for People with Disabilities?
With the shutdown over, funding will again begin to flow to critical programs like SNAP and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a program that helps many people with disabilities heat their homes in the winter.
As of Wednesday, November 12, 25% of states had not paid November SNAP benefits due to conflicting court orders, which are now moot since the shutdown has ended and Congress has appropriated funding for SNAP benefits through September 2026. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the SNAP program, says that funds will be available to states within 24 hours; however, it may take longer for states to load the benefits onto recipients’ EBT cards. Check your state department of human services website for updates about when you can expect to receive your November SNAP benefits.
It may take up to four weeks or more for states to receive LIHEAP grants and distribute energy assistance payments to recipients. The shutdown led many states to pause acceptance of applications due to the lapse in LIHEAP funding, and many states announced a delay in the start of their winter LIHEAP program during the shutdown. Now that a funding bill has been passed into law, it will take time for furloughed federal employees to calculate and distribute funding to the states. State social services departments will also need time to accept and process energy assistance applications. As a result, some states may not be able to distribute benefits until December or even January.
If your energy assistance benefits are interrupted, contact your electric, gas, or oil service provider, explain the situation, and inquire about available arrangements and assistance. Check whether your state has a law that prohibits disconnecting utility services during the winter months.
If your state DOES have a moratorium on disconnection of utility services during cold weather months, it is important that you:
- Beware of scams. Hang up on threatening calls that demand immediate payment or request payment through gift cards, payment apps, or wire transfers.
- If you receive a call demanding immediate payment of utility bills, check your bank account and contact your utility company at its official customer service number to report the call.
Check your state department of human services website for updates about when you can expect to receive energy assistance benefits.
Medicare Extensions Included in Bill
The bill passed by Congress to fund the government and end the shutdown also extends the following provisions for Medicare:
- Telehealth flexibility: The government funding bill extends the ability of healthcare providers to offer care via telehealth until January 30, 2026. This ability was first expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic and last extended in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. This extension is retroactive to October 1, meaning that if you’re on Medicare and received healthcare via telehealth during the shutdown, your provider can submit a claim and be reimbursed for the visit.
- Delay of Medicare Payment Cuts: The bill also delays until the end of January the 2% reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates, which were mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2013. Congress must pass full-year funding bills by January 30, 2026 to further delay this cut.
- Waiver of Mandatory PAYGO Budget Cuts: The government funding agreement also waives the 4% funding cuts to Medicare, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other federal programs mandated by the “Pay-As-You-Go” Congressional budget rules. This means that if Congress spends beyond a certain amount, they must pay for it with new revenue or cut funding by 4% from Medicare and other programs unless Congress waives the rule.
If Congress had not waived the mandatory PAYGO budget cuts, this would have resulted in reduced payments to healthcare providers, Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare prescription drug benefits, and more.
The Fight is Not Over
While the government is reopening today, unfortunately, this agreement does not extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, which are scheduled to end on December 31. Without these vital insurance subsidies, roughly 24 million Americans could face steep premium increases in 2026—some by 100% or more.
These enhanced ACA premium subsidies allow millions of people with disabilities who make too much to be eligible for Medicaid, do not have access to employer-sponsored health insurance, or are entrepreneurs or self-employed individuals, to afford and maintain health insurance from the ACA marketplace.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has promised to hold a vote on extending the ACA subsidies by mid-December as part of the deal to reopen the government; however, there is no guarantee it will happen.
The shorter-term funding timeline (through January 30) means our work is far from over. Congress will soon return to negotiations on appropriations for the full fiscal year and health insurance subsidies before January 30, 2026, and we need to keep applying pressure.
If you rely on ACA premium subsidies to afford health insurance, we want to hear from you now. Your stories about how these subsidies make coverage accessible are powerful tools to show Congress why they need to act.
Click here to share your story. You can add personal details about how the loss of enhanced ACA premium subsidies would impact your ability to keep healthcare coverage, afford critical medications, or remain independent.
Your voices will help us show how important these subsidies are for millions of Americans with disabilities and others who rely on them for affordable care.
AAPD will keep you updated as this situation unfolds.