Articles by Michael Kosnar,Monica Alba,Zoë Richards

Politics

Federal agencies tell staff to return to work on Thursday as government reopens

Multiple federal agencies have told their employees to report to work on Thursday, according to three administration officials. The directive came before President Donald Trump signed a short-term funding bill Wednesday night. Government workers at the Health and Human Services Department, Department of the Interior, Housing and Urban Development Department, and Department of Justice were all advised to come in on Thursday, regardless of when the measure was signed. One of the emails referred to the funding lapse as the “Democratic shutdown,” continuing a trend of partisan language on display from various agencies leading up to and during the government’s closure. The Republican-controlled House on Wednesday night approved legislation in a 222 to 209 vote to reopen the government after 43 days, the longest shutdown in American history. Six Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in favor of the measure, while two Republicans joined a vast majority of Democrats in opposing it. The bill reinstates thousands of government employees who were laid off during the shutdown which began on Oct. 1, secures back pay, and protects against additional reductions-in-force through the end of January. It’s unclear when furloughed workers will get their back pay or how fast paychecks might resume. NBC News has reached out to the Office of Management and Budget for details.