White House orders federal employees back to work as government shutdown ends

The White House ordered federal employees to return to work as government operations resumed following the end of a shutdown

The White House on Thursday ordered federal employees to return to work as government operations resumed following the end of a shutdown that had furloughed about 600,000 federal workers.

In a statement, the White House Office of Management and Budget instructed federal agencies to take the necessary steps to ensure a prompt and orderly reopening of government offices and emphasized the need for employees to resume their duties.

The move came after President Donald Trump signed a temporary funding bill passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ending the government shutdown that began on October 1 and became the longest in US history.