According to ChainCatcher, the US federal government experienced a 43-day shutdown last fall, followed by a brief 4-day shutdown a week ago. Now, another shutdown seems imminent. This latest shutdown appears likely because Democrats and Republicans in Washington remain divided over potential reforms to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement practices.
The shutdown, which lasted from January 31 to February 3, was ended thanks to a bipartisan spending plan that provided just two weeks' worth of funding to the department that manages Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while negotiations on reforms continued.
This stopgap funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will last until Friday, meaning the DHS's funding shortfall will begin early Saturday morning local time. Negotiations have yet to yield a breakthrough, so Washington is preparing for another shutdown, although this will certainly be a partial one, as only the DHS will be without funding.
