Government to reopen, IRS to become fully operational

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed (by a vote of 222-209) H.R. 5371—a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through January 30, 2026—as passed by the Senate (by a vote of 60-40) with amendments, on November 10, 2025.

The president is expected to sign the resolution in short order, thus ending the longest federal government shutdown in history. 

As a result, the IRS employees furloughed as of October 8, 2025, under the IRS’ updated FY2026 IRS Shutdown Contingency Plan (almost 50% of the total IRS employee population) (read TaxNewsFlash), will return to work.

In addition, the amended resolution provides that “any reduction in force proposed, noticed, initiated, executed, implemented, or otherwise taken by an Executive Agency between October 1, 2025, and the date of enactment, shall have no force or effect. . . . Any employee who received notice of being subject to such a reduction in force shall have that notice rescinded and be returned to employment status as of September 30, 2025, without interruption.” It was reported that more than 1,400 IRS employees received reduction in force notices on October 10, 2025. Thus, presumably those notices will be rescinded and those employees reinstated as of September 30, 2025. New reductions in force are also prohibited through January 30.