US government faces partial shutdown despite last-minute funding agreement
The United States federal government has entered a partial shutdown despite a last-minute funding agreement approved by the US Senate.
The funding lapse began at midnight Eastern Time on Saturday, just hours after senators voted to extend funding for most federal agencies through September. However, the bill included only a two-week extension for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees immigration enforcement agencies.
The legislation is yet to be approved by the US House of Representatives, which is currently out of session.
President Donald Trump reached the agreement with Democrats after they refused to approve additional funding for immigration enforcement in the aftermath of 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 end of the previous funding standoff, which lasted 43 days — the longest shutdown in US history. That 2025 shutdown, which ran from 1 October to 14 November, disrupted essential government services, including air travel, and left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay for weeks.
The current shutdown is expected to be shorter and more limited, as the House of Representatives is scheduled to return to session on Monday. Nevertheless, the White House has instructed several departments, including transportation, education, and defence, to begin implementing shutdown procedures.
“Employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to carry out orderly shutdown activities,” a White House memo stated. “It is our hope that this lapse will be short.”
President Trump has urged Republicans, who hold a majority in the House, to support the funding deal.
Lawmakers plan to use the two-week DHS funding window to negotiate further, with Democrats pushing for new policies governing immigration enforcement. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for stricter oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We need to rein in ICE and end the violence,” Schumer said. “That means ending roving patrols, enforcing clear rules and oversight, requiring judicial warrants, and ensuring officers display visible identification. Masks need to come off, cameras need to stay on, and there should be no secret police.”
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have criticised the tactics used by immigration agents following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last weekend. Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was shot by a US Border Patrol agent during an altercation in which several agents attempted to restrain him.
On Friday, the Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation into the shooting.