The U.S. government partially shut down again early Saturday morning. Although the Senate had earlier passed a budget bill that included temporary funding by an overwhelming majority, some federal agencies remained without funding as the House of Representatives had not yet voted on it. This shutdown, which may only last a few days, follows last year's record 43-day shutdown and once again puts pressure on the U.S. political arena regarding a budget negotiation deadlock.
The Senate swiftly passed five funding bills and temporary measures.
The Senate passed a comprehensive appropriations plan late Friday night by a vote of 71 to 29, which includes five government appropriations bills and a two-week temporary appropriations bill, giving both sides in Congress more time to negotiate the controversial budget issue for the Department of Homeland Security.
This proposal excludes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, instead providing it with short-term, temporary funding. Democrats have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the department's recent hardline immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, further exacerbating political divisions in the budget negotiations.
With the House of Representatives yet to reconvene, a temporary government shutdown is unavoidable.
Although the Senate has already voted, the House of Representatives is not expected to reconvene until Monday, causing some government funding to officially expire on Saturday. Affected departments include the State Department, Department of Defense, Treasury Service, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, Department of Education, and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
According to a memo issued Friday evening by Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), federal government employees should return to work at their scheduled times to prepare for an orderly shutdown.
Vought emphasized that the White House administration remains committed to working with Congress to resolve the budget dispute as soon as possible and complete the full appropriations process for fiscal year 2026. He added, "We hope this budget disruption will end soon."
According to market forecasts, most predictions suggest it will last for 1-3 days:
The Speaker of the House expressed support for the bill and hoped it would pass smoothly on Monday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (a Republican from Louisiana) said in a conference call with his party on Friday afternoon that he would support the Senate version of the funding bill. He noted that he had decided to endorse the bill after former President Trump expressed his support for it.
Johnson hopes the House will pass the bill on Monday, after which it can be sent to Trump for his signature. If all goes well, this brief government shutdown could end within days.
Progress on the proposal was initially hampered by reservations held by some Republicans.
Although the Senate eventually passed the budget bill, the process was fraught with difficulties. Strong objections from some Republican senators to the bill's content initially hindered its progress.
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham refused to withdraw his obstruction of the bill, demanding that Congress commit to a vote on his proposed "ban on sanctuary city policies," or he would continue to block it. The bill, which attempts to criminalize immigration policies in sanctuary cities, has sparked considerable controversy.
This brief government shutdown highlights the ongoing and unresolved fiscal policy differences between the two parties in the United States. Even if the appropriations bill ultimately passes the House of Representatives, it only provides Congress with a brief respite. The real challenge remains reaching a consensus on long-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security and related contentious issues within the next two weeks.
This article is temporarily suspended! The US government has partially shut down again, with the House of Representatives not reconvening until Monday to vote on the appropriations bill . This ABMedia first appeared on ABMedia .
