U.S. Government Faces Partial Shutdown After Last-Minute Funding Deal

Tue Feb 03 2026 15:47:55 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Despite a last-minute agreement by the Senate, the U.S. government has partially shut down, impacting several departments and reigniting the debate over immigration policies.

The U.S. federal government has entered a partial shutdown after a funding agreement was struck by the Senate to support most agencies until September, excluding the Department of Homeland Security. This marks the second shutdown in under a year and raises concerns over immigration enforcement policies in light of recent events. The House remains out of session but is expected to reconvene soon, with lawmakers looking to negotiate a new immigration policy during the two-week exemption for DHS.

The United States federal government has partially shutdown despite a last-ditch funding deal approved by the US Senate.

The funding lapse officially began at midnight US eastern time on Saturday, hours after senators agreed to fund most agencies until September. The bill carved out a two-week exemption for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement agencies.

The bill has yet to be approved by the US House of Representatives, which is out of session.

President Donald Trump struck the deal with Democrats after they refused to give more funding for immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents.

This marks the second government shutdown in the past year and comes just 11 weeks after the conclusion of the previous shutdown, which lasted 43 days—the longest in US history.

This shutdown is unlikely to last as long, as the House of Representatives is set to reconvene on Monday. The White House has directed several agencies to execute shutdown plans, although it hopes the situation will be short-lived.

Lawmakers plan to use the fortnight on DHS funds to negotiate a new immigration policy, with Democrats pushing for reforms relating to ICE enforcement practices.

Recent events, including the shooting of an intensive care nurse by border patrol agents, have intensified the discussion around immigration enforcement tactics, prompting a civil rights investigation from the Justice Department.