What to know about the partial government shutdown as funding lapses for many agencies

Washington — Funding for many federal agencies expired at midnight Saturday after Congress failed to pass a half-dozen spending bills before the deadline, prompting a partial government shutdown.

Lack of funding comes despite Senate vote Friday evening to approve a package of five bills and extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security by two weeks, which had been the sticking point in the upper chamber. The deal reached between Senate Democrats and the White House must still be approved by the House, which is scheduled to return to Washington on Monday.

Here’s what you need to know about the funding gap:

What is behind the partial government shutdown?

The Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement has been at the center of this defunding fight.

Since the longest shutdown in U.S. history last fall, lawmakers have been scrambling to pass individual spending bills to fund federal agencies through September 2026. Congress has already passed and the president has signed six of those bills. The other six are at the center of the current funding fight.

Bipartisan talks appear to have reached an agreement in recent weeks. Appropriators made public the text of the financing measures on January 20. Five of the bills were consolidated into one package, while the bill funding DHS was separated. House Democrats had threatened to withhold support for the overall funding if the DHS bill was included, arguing it did not go far enough to rein in ICE after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.

The DHS portion passed with the support of just seven Democrats in last week’s House vote, while the larger financing program was adopted with broad bipartisan support. The House then consolidated the bills to send them to the Senate, a move intended to pave the way for rapid passage.

But the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis last weekend was a game-changer for Senate Democrats. They fiercely opposed funding DHS without additional reforms, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the caucus would not provide the votes needed to move forward on the funding plan unless the DHS money was withdrawn.

Senators returned to Washington this week without a clear solution. Schumer outlined the demands of the Democrats Wednesday, including ending roving patrols by immigration agents, banning the use of masks and strengthening warrant requirements. Republicans — some of whom spoke out against the events in Minneapolis — encouraged Democrats to take their demands for reform to the Trump administration.

GOP leaders opted to hold an initial vote on the overall funding as planned, but it failed Thursday. But hours later, Senate Democrats made an agreement with the White House. Under those terms, Democrats would support all five non-DHS funding bills, while extending DHS funding at current levels for two weeks while discussions on broader reforms continue.

The Senate voted 71-29 Friday to approve the five-bill package and approved a continuing resolution to maintain DHS funding by voice vote. But the changes mean the House will have to approve, and the lower chamber is not expected to return to Washington until Monday.

Which agencies are not funded?

Besides DHS, funding for other major departments and their subagencies has expired. They include:

• Department of Defense
• State Department
• Ministry of Labor
• Ministry of Health and Social Services
• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Transport
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service.

The stop is not planned to affect the Trump administration’s controversial immigration control campaign. DHS received an infusion of about $165 billion in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including $75 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $65 billion for Customs and Border Protection. The funding goes well beyond the annual allocations agencies typically receive and allows them to continue operations without new money.

Which agencies are funded?

The six appropriations bills already approved by both chambers fund the following agencies through September, meaning they are not affected by a shutdown:

• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Ministry of Agriculture
• Food and Drug Administration
• Operations for the legislative branch
• Department of Commerce
• Ministry of Justice
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• National Science Foundation
• Ministry of Energy
• Ministry of the Interior
• Environmental Protection Agency

Why is the government closing its doors?

A law known as the Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from spending funds that have not been authorized by Congress. A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to approve funding for some or all of the agencies, which are funded each year through a dozen appropriations bills.

The 12 bills must be passed by Congress before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, although lawmakers often wait until the last minute and group them into larger packages to speed up the process. Temporarily extending funding to current levels has also become commonplace to buy more time while negotiations on full-year measures continue.

Last year, the deadline passed without any bill being passed and without an agreement on a short-term extension being reached. The ensuing closure lasted 43 days.

What happens during a shutdown?

During a shutdown, departments and agencies that do not have new or temporary funding must cease all non-essential functions until additional appropriations are passed.

Each agency determines which work is essential and which is not. Employees performing essential tasks are working without pay for the duration of the shutdown, but will receive back pay once the government reopens. Employees in non-essential positions are generally furloughed, but are also expected to receive back pay when their agency’s funding is restored.

The process of implementing a shutdown typically begins at the start of the next work week if the funding shortfall begins over the weekend. The current funding shortfall is unlikely to have a substantial impact on the operations of the affected agencies, as the House is expected to approve revised funding bills soon.

The main problems with any shutdown arise when essential workers must continue to work without being paid. During last year’s shutdown, the administration used other funds to pay the military to ease their financial hardship. Air traffic controllers and airport security are essential employees, and staffing issues have begun to seriously impact travel. There were cancellations and delays as the Department of Transportation halted flights due to safety concerns. Some air traffic employees said they had to take other jobs to make ends meet.

How long will the closure last?

This could end relatively quickly, depending on what happens in the House.

Some conservatives have said they want changes to the DHS bill or amendments to the broader package, but could backtrack if the president increases pressure on holdouts to support the funding measure.

Republicans face a razor-thin majority in the House, and Democrats could decide to step in to help push the bill through to final passage if hard-liners stick to their demands.

What happens next?

The House Rules Committee could meet this weekend before the full chamber returns on Monday. The committee is often the last stop for a bill before it reaches the House. If the package survives the Rules Committee, one of the next steps is a procedural vote on the rules, which is usually approved by the majority in a party-line vote. But several conservatives have already warned that they could suspend their vote if their demands are not met.

The Rules Committee route allows legislation to pass by a simple majority. If the funding remains stuck in committee or fails to clear a procedural vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson could raise it under suspension of the rules, which would require a two-thirds vote for passage.

After passage in the House, the President should promptly sign the funding measures into law, thereby closing the funding gap.