Advocacy News – Nov. 13, 2025
What happened: Yesterday, Congress voted to re-open the federal government, a historic 43 days after it originally shutdown over a partisan funding impasse. The House passed the Senate’s funding deal in a 222–209 vote, following the Senate’s approval earlier in the week. The newly inked agreement now keeps the government open until Jan. 30, 2026.
What we’re saying: The Michigan Chamber worked with the Michigan Congressional delegation to vocalize the importance of keeping the government open, and called publicly for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to come together on a deal.
- The MI Chamber, along with 215 national associations and state and local chambers, sent a letter to Congress organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urging lawmakers to finalize the progress made and immediately vote to reopen the government to end the shutdown.
The bottom line: Since the start of the shutdown, reports have emphasized the damage it has caused to small businesses, the economy and national security. In Michigan alone, the economic toll was estimated at $1.6 billion in lost state gross product for each month the government remained closed.
What’s next: While government funding has now been secured until the end of January, it will take some time for all government services and payments to be fully restored. Further, there is still no resolution on the issue of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. If the standoff over healthcare is not resolved by the end of January, the US government could face another possible shutdown.
For questions or more information, contact Mike Alaimo.