This blog post was updated on November 13, 2025.

Last night (November 12, 2025), Congress passed a stopgap spending package that was immediately signed into law by the president. This action officially ended the 44-day government shutdown — the longest in U.S. history. Furloughed federal employees are expected to return to work on Thursday, November 13, and normal government operations should begin resuming over the next several days.

The temporary funding measure will keep the federal government open through January 30, 2026, providing lawmakers additional time to negotiate and finalize long-term appropriations.

NRPA’s public policy team continues to advocate strongly for federal investments that support parks and recreation. In the coming weeks, we will be reaching out to ask for your help in contacting your members of Congress to ensure that funding priorities for parks, recreation and community well-being remain a focus in future funding discussions.

Make sure you stay up-to-date by signing up for alerts via NRPA’s Action Center.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at advocacy@nrpa.org.

Kyle Simpson is NRPA's director of public policy and advocacy.