Partial government shutdown begins as funding lapses despite Senate deal
- updated 38M ago
Partial government shutdown begins as funding lapses despite Senate deal
By/ CBS News
What to know about the partial government shutdown:
- Dozens of federal agencies saw their funding lapse at 12 a.m. Saturday, kicking off a partial government shutdown
- The Senate passed a funding package late Friday after striking a bipartisan deal, but the agreement still needs the approval of the House, which is not expected to return to Washington until Monday.
- Democrats reached a deal with the White House on Thursday after raising objections about funding for immigration agencies. It involves passing five long-term spending bills while extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks to allow for talks over reforms to immigration enforcement.
- The Senate voted on final passage of the funding deal hours ahead of the deadline Friday evening after votes on several amendments. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who had initially objected to fast-tracking the agreement, said earlier in the day that he would allow it to move forward.
- The effects of a partial shutdown will be minimal if the House is able to finalize the plan early next week. There is little appetite in Washington for a prolonged shutdown like the one that lasted 43 days in the fall.
Partial government shutdown begins
Funding for the Pentagon, the State Department, the Treasury and many other agencies has officially lapsed, triggering a partial government shutdown.
The shutdown could be short-lived and have few tangible effects if the House swiftly approves a funding deal that was passed by the Senate on Friday. The lower chamber returns to Washington on Monday.
Some other agencies will be unaffected by the shutdown because Congress has already approved funding for them, including the Justice Department, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
By Joe WalshJeffries won't say whether House Democrats will support the Senate-passed funding package
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries won't say whether Democrats in the lower chamber will back the Senate-passed funding legislation.
In a statement, Jeffries said House Democrats "will evaluate the spending legislation passed by the Senate on its merits and then decide how to proceed legislatively."
"The Trump administration must set forth an ironclad path that dramatically reforms ICE and other DHS agencies that the American people know have become lawless and heavy-handed. It is in the best interest of the country that this is done before the Congress reconvenes on Monday evening and legislation is brought to the House floor," he said.
OMB tells affected agencies to begin executing plans for shutdown
In a memo to department heads on Friday, the director of the Office of Management and Budget directed affected agencies whose funding will lapse at midnight to begin preparing for a shutdown.
Those include the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, among others.
"As it is now clear that Congress will not complete its work before the expiration of appropriations, affected agencies should now execute plans for an orderly shutdown. Employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities," the letter from Russ Vought said.
"The Administration will continue working with the Congress to address recently raised concerns to complete appropriations for Fiscal Year 2026. It is our hope that this lapse will be short," Vought said.
Thune on DHS negotiations: "It's going to be really, really hard to get anything done"
Senate Majority Leader John Thune expects it will be a heavy lift to reach a bipartisan agreement on DHS funding in the next two weeks.
"I wish they'd given us more time," the South Dakota Republican told reporters. "I just think it's going to be really, really hard to get anything done and then actually execute on the procedures and process we have in the Senate, even if there's an agreement."
"There are some pretty significant differences of opinion," Thune added.
By Caitlin Yilek, Grace KazarianSchumer vows Democrats will stand united against long-term DHS funding without ICE reforms
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said there will have to be "strong, common-sense legislation that reins in ICE" in order for Democrats to support long-term funding for DHS.
"If our colleagues are not willing to enact real change, they should not expect Democratic votes," the New York Democrat told reporters at a news conference after passage of the funding deal.
The reforms sought by Democrats include requiring federal officers to wear body cameras, banning officers from wearing masks and mandating judicial warrants for arrests, as well as ending roving patrols.
Schumer said Democrats intend to negotiate with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, not President Trump, to find a path to 60 votes — the threshold needed for passage in the upper chamber. He also said public opinion is in Democrats' favor on the issue given recent events in Minnesota.
"I'm going to talk to Thune. Whatever he wants to say to Trump … if Trump can be constructive, great. But right now Trump is being destructive," Schumer said. "Thune and I are the two leads on the negotiation."
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said over the next few days Senate Democrats "will be focused on negotiating real restraints to put an end to the chaos we're seeing on our streets."
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