US Government Partially Shuts Down Amid Last-Minute Funding Deal Excluding Homeland Security
January 31, 2026
The United States federal government entered a partial shutdown after midnight on Saturday, despite a last-minute funding deal passed by the US Senate. The bill funds most agencies until September but excludes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), creating a two-week gap for its funding. The House of Representatives has yet to approve the bill and is currently out of session.
President Donald Trump made the deal with Democrats who opposed increasing funding for immigration enforcement. This follows the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents. It marks the second government shutdown in a year, coming just 11 weeks after the longest shutdown in US history, which lasted 43 days.
Unlike the lengthy previous shutdown, this one is expected to be shorter as the House returns on Monday. The White House has asked departments like Transportation, Education, and Defense to prepare for shutdown operations. A memo instructed, "Employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities." It added, "It is our hope that this lapse will be short."
President Trump urged House Republicans, who control the chamber, to approve the deal quickly. Lawmakers plan to use the two-week DHS funding to negotiate new immigration enforcement policies. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "We need to rein in ICE and end the violence. That means ending roving patrols. It means requiring rules, oversight, and judicial warrants... Masks need to come off, cameras need to stay on, and officers need visible identification. No secret police."
Both Republicans and Democrats have criticized immigration agents' tactics after the shooting of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, by a US Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis last weekend. Following the incident, the Justice Department started a civil rights investigation.
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Us government shutdown
Funding Deal
Immigration enforcement
Ice
Donald trump
Justice Department Investigation
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