• Partial shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after Congress missed midnight Friday deadline
• White House and Senate Democrats struck deal separating DHS funding from broader spending package
• Shutdown affects 78 percent of federal agencies not already funded through September

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — The federal government entered a partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after Congress failed to pass a spending package by the midnight Friday deadline, despite a last-minute deal between the White House and Senate Democrats that separates Department of Homeland Security funding from the broader budget.

The shutdown, which affects approximately 78 percent of the federal government not already funded, comes two months after the longest closure in U.S. history—a 43-day standoff over health insurance subsidies that ended in November 2025. Lawmakers predict this lapse will be resolved in days, with minimal disruption since most federal offices do not operate on weekends.

The House of Representatives is scheduled to convene Sunday afternoon, with the Rules Committee expected to meet at 4 p.m. to consider the Senate's funding deal. A full House vote could occur as early as Monday, three days after the shutdown deadline.

Deal Separates DHS Funding From Five-Bill Package

Under the agreement reached Thursday between President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats, lawmakers plan to remove the Department of Homeland Security funding bill from a broader package of six spending bills covering other parts of the government, including the Pentagon, the State Department, and various other agencies.

"Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security," Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday evening.

The five remaining bills would fund large swaths of the federal government through the end of the fiscal year on September 30. DHS would receive a two-week continuing resolution at current funding levels, giving lawmakers time to negotiate reforms to immigration enforcement practices.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune initially sought a longer extension for DHS funding, pushing for up to six weeks, but Democrats insisted on a two-week timeframe to expedite negotiations.

"The two-week CR probably means we'd need another two-week CR and maybe another two-week CR after that," Thune said Thursday. "I don't know why they're doing it that way."

Democrats Demand ICE Reforms After Minneapolis Killings

The funding crisis stems from fierce Democratic opposition following the deaths of two U.S. citizens killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents on January 24. That death came weeks after Renee Good, a mother of three, was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier in January.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer outlined Democrats' demands for immigration enforcement reforms Wednesday, including ending roving patrols, requiring federal agents to wear body cameras instead of masks, and implementing uniform codes of conduct.

"Until ICE is properly reined in and overhauled legislatively, the DHS funding bill doesn't have the votes to pass," Schumer said earlier this week.

"In the meantime, I will vote no on any legislation that funds ICE until it is reined in and overhauled, and Senate Democrats are overwhelmingly united on this issue," Schumer added.

Democrats are also pushing for accountability measures to hold federal agents to the same use-of-force policies as state and local law enforcement, changes to warrant requirements, and the authority for the DHS inspector general to review and investigate detention centers.

The bill negotiated by Senate Democrats includes $20 million for body-worn cameras and $2 million to ensure training requirements include de-escalation tactics for encounters with protesters.

Senate Overcomes Graham Objection to Advance Deal

The Senate faced a significant hurdle Thursday night when Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina objected to fast-tracking the agreement, temporarily blocking progress on the funding deal.

"From a Republican point of view, the cops need us right now. They are being demonized. They're being spat upon. They can't sleep at night," Graham said Thursday.

Graham lifted his hold Friday afternoon after receiving assurances from Thune that he would support Graham's efforts to bring future votes on two separate issues: a sanctuary cities bill and legislation creating legal standing for private citizens harmed by former Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigations.

"I will lift my hold and vote for the package," Graham said in a statement Friday afternoon.

The Senate began voting Friday evening on a series of amendments to the spending package, with final passage expected before the weekend. However, even with Senate approval, the technical shutdown continues until the House acts.

House Speaker Acknowledges Weekend Shutdown Likely

House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged Thursday night that a brief partial shutdown was inevitable given the logistical challenges of reconvening the House, which is in recess until Monday.

"So, we have got some logistical challenges, but we'll do it as quickly as we can and get everybody back," Johnson said at the premiere of the "Melania" film Thursday evening. "And if there is a short-term shutdown, I think we'll get it reopened quickly."

Johnson expressed optimism about the Senate deal while emphasizing his preference for the House's original approach.

"By Monday, we'll get the House back; we'll pass those bills. We will have 11 of the 12 appropriations bills funded — that's 96% of federal funding for a year," Johnson told reporters.

However, the funding measures could face hurdles in the House, where Johnson maintains only a razor-thin Republican majority. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries emphasized the urgency of addressing immigration enforcement concerns.

"We have to deal with the issue of reining ICE and the Department of Homeland Security in with the fierce urgency of now," Jeffries told reporters Friday. "A two-week window will evaluate whether that's sufficient time, but there's urgency to dealing with this issue, because ICE, as we've seen, is out of control."

Affected Agencies Include Defense, Treasury, IRS

In addition to DHS, the shutdown affects the departments of Defense, Treasury, State, Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Education—agencies that together represent approximately 78 percent of discretionary federal spending.

"Activities that are necessary to protect life and property continue, although the workers in those functions may not be paid while they are working," said Caleb Quakenbush, associate director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

The Internal Revenue Service is among the agencies losing funding. This marks the first shutdown during tax season, which began Monday. Last year during the 43-day shutdown, the IRS remained partially operational but had to wind down some operations as the closure dragged on.

"Nonessential" employees at affected agencies will be furloughed, while "essential" employees will work without pay until Congress passes and the president signs funding legislation. Agencies have discretion in determining which functions are essential and at what point operations must be curtailed.

Shutdown Process Unlikely to Begin Until Monday

While funding technically lapsed at midnight Saturday, the actual work of shutting down the government is a process that each relevant agency undertakes to determine essential activities, which workers will be furloughed, and which will continue working.

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The White House Office of Management and Budget coordinates each agency's shutdown procedures and determines when they should begin implementation. That process typically would not begin until Monday and might not happen at all if the White House determines that funding approval is imminent.

Lawmakers often intentionally craft funding bills to expire on Fridays to give themselves breathing space to finalize deals before the start of the work week. The strategic timing minimizes public disruption, as most federal offices are closed on weekends regardless of funding status.

Certain government functions like Social Security payments and Medicare and Medicaid services typically continue during a shutdown, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

ICE Operations Will Continue Despite Shutdown

Even if the shutdown persists beyond Monday, ICE operations are unlikely to be hindered in any meaningful way. Under DHS's shutdown plan, ICE employees would be considered "excepted" workers and required to continue showing up to work, though they would not receive pay.

On top of that, ICE continues to have ample funding since the agency received $75 billion of additional money for detention and enforcement from Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" passed last year. This means the current funding standoff over the approximately $10 billion in base DHS funding does not directly impact ICE's operational capacity.

Democrats acknowledge that withholding DHS funding will not halt the administration's immigration crackdown, but they view this as rare leverage in the minority to extract policy changes governing how immigration enforcement is conducted.

Previous Shutdown Lasted Record 43 Days

The current funding lapse comes two months after the federal government reopened following the longest shutdown in U.S. history. That 43-day closure, which began in October 2025, centered on Democratic demands to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies that were set to expire.

President Trump and congressional Republicans refused to include subsidy extensions in the funding legislation, leading Democrats to block passage. The standoff ended November 12, 2025, when eight moderate Democratic senators broke ranks to pass a continuing resolution through January 30, with the promise of a separate December vote on healthcare subsidies.

"After 43 days, the longest federal government shutdown in history finally came to an end with Democrats and Republicans agreeing on a spending bill," ABC News reported at the time.

That shutdown affected an estimated 750,000 federal employees who were furloughed or required to work without pay. The prolonged closure also disrupted economic data collection, creating a blind spot in October 2025 statistics that will distort trend analysis for years.

The promised December vote on healthcare subsidies failed, and the enhanced ACA tax credits expired December 31, 2025, leading to significant premium increases for approximately 22 million Americans who purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

Conservatives Criticize Two-Week DHS Extension

Some conservative House members have expressed concerns about the two-week stopgap measure for DHS funding, arguing it gives Democrats additional leverage to extract concessions.

"That hands more leverage to Democrats to derail immigration enforcement, and we'd be right back here again in two weeks with more crazy demands from the radical Left," a senior GOP aide close to House conservatives told Fox News.

The aide called the two-week timeline "crazy" given the administration's focus on expanding immigration enforcement operations nationwide. However, Speaker Johnson indicated the House would likely approve the Senate deal to reopen the government while continuing negotiations on long-term DHS funding.

Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, told reporters he was "encouraged" that the White House is engaging with Democratic leadership but expressed skepticism about relying on executive action alone.

"I'm encouraged, but I don't trust the White House. The idea that they were going to take this by executive action — we have found time and again that they have broken their words. I don't trust the process of creating a separate bill. Those reforms, I think they need to be in the DHS funding bill," Warner said.

Will Congress resolve the DHS funding standoff within two weeks, or are Americans facing another prolonged government shutdown over immigration enforcement policies?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from CBS News' coverage of the shutdown deadline, CNBC's reporting on DHS funding, ABC News' analysis of funding negotiations, Federal News Network's coverage of the stopgap bill, Fox News' reporting on House weekend meeting, NPR's analysis of Democrats' demands, NBC News' coverage of ICE operations, and Wikipedia's documentation of the 2025 shutdown.

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