On November 12, 2025, the federal government finally reopened after a 43-day shutdown – the longest in U.S. history. During the period of a government shutdown, federal employees cannot be paid and can only be paid when Congress reaches a deal and the lapse in appropriations ends. While this means that hundreds of thousands of federal employees were sent home without pay (approximately 670,000 in total) during this most recent shutdown, hundreds of thousands of “essential” employees – basically, the ones necessary to keep the country running (about 730,000 in total) – were required to continue working, without pay, with only the promise of retroactive pay when the government reopens.1