After more than 40 days, which was the longest shutdown in history, eight Democrat Senators ultimately came to their senses and joined Republicans in voting to reopen the government. You can see how members voted in the Senate here and in the House here.

H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2026, extends government funding through January 30th and advances a package of three appropriations bills to fully fund Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch through the remainder of the fiscal year.

This will ensure backpay for federal employees, fully fund food stamps through September 30th, 2026, and provide long-term stability so our veterans continue receiving the benefits and care they have earned. It also delivers the largest annual VA budget in history.

While it’s shameful that so many Democrats like Senator Baldwin put politics ahead of the American people for the sake of last week’s elections, I am grateful their hostage racket has finally come to an end.

There was never a legitimate reason for this shutdown. The very same deal was on the table in the Senate a month ago. But Democrats openly admitted they wanted Americans to “suffer” for “leverage.”

This legislation also protected taxpayers by blocking Democrats’ attempts to force through a bloated end-of-year omnibus, expand free health care to illegal aliens, and funnel money to liberal media outlets. We also stopped their efforts to roll back common-sense work requirements for able-bodied adults on welfare, which 80% of Wisconsinites supported in 2023.

Now that the government is open, we can get back to the work the American people expect. I am focused on moving forward legislation to delist the gray wolf and help lower costs for you. The Working Families Tax Cut boosted wages, removed taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security, and increased the Child Tax Credit. These are important steps, but I know there is still more to do.

I want to thank our air traffic controllers, TSA agents, service members, and federal employees who continued to work throughout the shutdown. Your resilience kept this country running.

Thanks again for starting off your weekend with us! We hope you enjoy this week’s edition of the Tiffany Telegram.