White House Orders Furloughed Workers to Return to Work Thursday

The White House is ordering federal employees back to work Thursday, as the government reopens following a historic shutdown that furloughed about 600,000 federal employees, shuttered offices and froze billions in salaries and payments.

The directive comes after President Donald Trump signed a funding bill into law late Wednesday that ends the longest government shutdown in US history.

“Therefore, agencies should take all necessary steps to ensure that offices open in a prompt and orderly manner on November 13, 2025,” The White House Office of Management and Budget said in a memo Wednesday. “Employees who were on furlough due to ...