WASHINGTON DC ~ A new partial shutdown is underway as Congress failed to reach agreement on Department of Homeland Security funding before the deadline Friday, triggering disruptions across several federal agencies. Funding for DHS lapsed at the end of day Friday, marking the second shutdown in as many weeks and the third since October.
The latest impasse centers on proposed reforms to immigration enforcement following recent fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis. Democrats are seeking new restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, including requirements for body cameras, bans on mask use, and warrants for arrests on private property. Republicans argue DHS should be funded without attaching policy changes, a disagreement that stalled negotiations before lawmakers left Washington for a weeklong recess.
As funding expired, DHS began implementing its shutdown plans, affecting agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, FEMA, and the Secret Service. Officials warn the lapse will mean thousands of personnel working without pay, potential delays to disaster reimbursements, and interruptions to cyber‑security efforts. ICE operations will continue with minimal disruption because of supplemental funding approved last summer.
The shutdown follows a brief federal closure earlier this month that ended when Congress passed a broader spending package funding most agencies through September. Lawmakers must now negotiate a DHS‑only deal when they return to Washington on February 23, one day before the president’s scheduled State of the Union address. It remains unclear how close negotiators are to a compromise.
