Government shutdown vote: Will furloughed workers get back pay? SNAP benefits be restored? FAQs answered

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers remained furloughed amid the government shutdown. Here's what happens if the shutdown ends.

Senate Republican leader John Thune has said that a deal is “coming together” as he planned a test vote Sunday, November 9, on a narrow spending package that would end the government shutdown, which has stretched on for 40 days. "We'll see kind of where the votes are," Thune reportedly said. "This kind of stuff can drag on indefinitely if you allow it to."

A man holds a sign reading "SNAP Feeds Families," as food aid benefits come under threat due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, during "A Rally for SNAP" on the steps of the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., October 28, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo(REUTERS)

Senate Democrats are expected to come together for a caucus meeting at 5 pm on Sunday, CBS News cited sources as saying. The procedural vote planned by Thune would require support from several Democrats. The measure has notably fallen short of the 60-vote threshold 14 times.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers remained furloughed amid the shutdown. Americans are curious to know what happens to these workers’ pay in case the shutdown ends.

Some FAQs answered

Will furloughed workers get back pay? – Furloughed employees typically got back pay in previous shutdowns. However, this time, it may not work the same way as the White House has signaled that it might not uphold that practice, according to USA Today. President Donald Trump said he would fire federal employees en masse if the government were shut down. He later said he would block back pay.

The shutdown led to some federal workers, including those furloughed, seeing missed paychecks. On October 7, Trump said he would block furloughed federal workers from receiving back pay once the shutdown was over, declaring some employees "don't deserve" the compensation.

“It depends on who we’re talking about,” Trump said at the Oval Office on October 7. “For the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we'll take care of them in a different way."

Will SNAP benefits be restored? – The federal government pays SNAP benefits through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS). According to CT.GOV, “If the federal government shuts down, the USDA may not send the money to states, which could delay or stop your monthly food benefits.”

The website also explained how the shutdown will affect people’s November SNAP benefits. “If the federal shutdown keeps going, SNAP benefits for November will not be sent out. November SNAP benefits cannot be issued until the federal shutdown ends or new guidance is provided by FNS,” it explained.

“If the shutdown ends before November 1, benefits will be issued as usual,” added the website. “If the shutdown ends after November 1, benefits may be delayed but will be paid retroactively (you will get the amount you missed). Once the shutdown ends, benefits will return to the regular schedule.”

Meanwhile, the USDA has directed states to “immediately undo” any steps that were taken to send out full food aid benefits to low-income Americans. This came after a supreme court order temporarily halted a lower court order requiring those payments.