Federal programs critical to the U.S. housing market are set to resume after the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved legislation to fund the government and end the longest shutdown in American history.
The measure, which passed the Senate 60–40 on Monday, has been signed into law by President Donald Trump.
“This agreement brings programs critical to housing back online and is welcome news for Americans whose home purchases and insurance renewals have been delayed or derailed over the past several weeks,” says Shannon McGahn, chief advocacy officer and executive vice president of the National Association of REALTORS®.
“[Members] from across the country have reported stalled FHA, VA and USDA loans, as well as halted new flood insurance policies, creating real economic harm that rippled through local economies each day the shutdown continued.”
But McGahn cautions, “There is a six-week backlog with many of these programs, so I would expect there to be some additional delays as they work through them.”
The agreement funds the federal government, including federal housing programs, and provides an extension of insurance-writing authority for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through Jan. 30, 2026.
It also provides funding for three spending bills related to agriculture, military construction and legislative agencies for the full fiscal year through Sept. 30, 2026. Those bills cover U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Veterans Affairs (VA) loan programs. The agreement also reinstates federal workers with back pay who were furloughed during the shutdown.
Congress will have until the January deadline to pass additional appropriations covering the rest of the government.