Lawmakers End Federal Shutdown — for Three Weeks, At Least

Congress voted Monday afternoon to re-open the government after failing to pass a stopgap measure over the weekend, which shut down federal agencies — but concerns remain about an upcoming standoff and the possibility of another shutdown in February.

The Senate voted 81-18 to pass a measure that would fund the government through Feb. 8.

When the shutdown happened Jan. 20, the FDA said it would continue activities financed by carryover medical device user fee balances.

However, the agency said, it would not be able to accept user fees for fiscal 2018 until Congress enacts a fiscal 2018 appropriation or a continuing resolution. This means the FDA would not be able to accept fiscal-2018 regulatory submissions requiring a fee payment if they are submitted during a shutdown.