Federal employees head back to work — but funding worries loom

Thousands of federal employees and contractors are headed back to work today — but the transition back from the shutdown won't necessarily be smooth. The FDA will start accepting drug and medical device applications again, but agency officials say it could take nearly a year to catch up on postponed work, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Indian Affairs needs to quickly dole out grant money to address food shortages and medical needs for tribal members. There's still uncertainty about what will happen when the short-term spending bill runs out on Feb. 15. "It’s not like we feel relieved. We worry that we’re just going to be used again in three weeks, if nothing is resolved," a National Science Foundation program director told the Post.