The federal government has entered a partial shutdown after Congress was unable to reach a consensus on a spending plan, following a tense debate over border enforcement in the aftermath of last weekend’s shooting in Minneapolis.
In a late-night session on Friday, the Senate approved five appropriations bills alongside a temporary measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks. This move was aimed at accommodating Democrats’ demands for changes in immigration enforcement and as a counter to President Donald Trump’s stringent deportation policies.
The measure passed with a 71-29 vote. Among those who voted against it were Independent Bernie Sanders and five Republicans, specifically Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Rick Scott, who joined 23 Democrats.
This shutdown is expected to be less disruptive than the historic 43-day shutdown that occurred late last year.
Numerous services that were previously halted, such as SNAP food assistance, farm loans, and national park maintenance, have already secured funding as of November and earlier this month, according to a report by Politico.
Furthermore, operations within the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Justice, Agriculture, Interior, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the EPA, FDA, and military construction projects, will continue unaffected.
However, the Departments of Homeland Security, State and Treasury will be affected, as will federal transportation, labor, health, housing and educational programs, along with the IRS and some foreign aid.
But the House must approve the new deal, and it’s on recess until Monday, guaranteeing funding will lapse at least until next week.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, speaks at a press conference with other members of Senate Democratic leadership following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on January 28, 2026
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds a news conference at the headquarters for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to discuss a major winter storm affecting much of the country as well as the shooting death of a Minneapolis man by federal agents in Minnesota, in Washington, DC, on January 24, 2026
Speaker Mike Johnson, who held a conference call Friday with GOP lawmakers, said he expects the House to vote Monday evening. But what is uncertain is how much support there will be for the package.
The stalemate marks a new standoff as outrage still swirls over last weekend’s fatal shooting of Minneapolis man Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents.
The Senate deal faces an uphill battle in the House, where some Republicans are already pushing back.
Rep. Ralph Norman texted NOTUS on Friday calling the Senate agreement ‘ludicrous’ and vowing, ‘We should not allow this to happen.’
Democrats have sharpened attacks on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who faces growing demands to rein in aggressive border operations.
On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted DHS leadership, accusing Noem, Trump, and senior adviser Stephen Miller of unleashing Immigration and Customs Enforcement ‘without guardrails.’
Democrats seized the moment — and public anger — to peel DHS out of the larger appropriations package, forcing a separate fight over the agency’s conduct and future funding.
The maneuver not only gives them leverage in upcoming border negotiations but also underscores how the Pretti shooting has changed the dynamics around immigration, long considered one of Trump’s greatest political strengths.
Federal agents try to clear the demonstrators near a hotel, using tear gas during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city Sunday, January 25, 2026, in Minneapolis
Trump posted to Truth Social Thursday that he and Congress were ‘working hard’ to get a deal done
Republicans, meanwhile, fumed that Democrats are exploiting tragedy for political gain, accusing them of endangering national security by holding up money for border patrol and counterterrorism operations.
A brief shutdown over the weekend is expected to cause minimal disruption, as most federal workers don’t report on Sundays.
Trump posted to Truth Social Thursday that he and Congress were ‘working hard’ to get a deal done.
‘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 (including the very important Coast Guard, which we are expanding and rebuilding like never before),’ he wrote.
Trump asked both Republicans and Democrats to vote yes on the deal.
