The United States federal government has entered a partial shutdown after a last-minute funding agreement failed to clear all legislative hurdles.
The funding lapse took effect at midnight Eastern Time on Saturday (05:00 GMT), only hours after the US Senate approved a stopgap bill to keep most federal agencies funded through September. Under the agreement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) received only two weeks of temporary funding rather than full-term coverage, preventing its immediate closure.
However, the deal has not yet been passed by the House of Representatives, which is currently out of session—triggering the partial shutdown.
President Donald Trump negotiated the compromise with Democrats after they declined to approve additional funding for immigration enforcement agencies. The standoff follows public outrage over the fatal shooting of two US citizens in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents.
This marks the second government shutdown within a year and comes just 11 weeks after the conclusion of the previous impasse, which lasted 43 days—the longest shutdown in US history. That 2025 shutdown, spanning from 1 October to 14 November, disrupted major government services, including air travel, and left hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid for weeks.
While the current shutdown is expected to be shorter and less disruptive, the White House has instructed several departments—including transportation, education and defence—to begin implementing shutdown procedures.
In a memo circulated to federal agencies, the White House said employees should report to work only to carry out “orderly shutdown activities,” adding that officials hope the lapse will be brief.
President Trump has urged Republican lawmakers, who hold the majority in the House, to support the Senate-approved deal when they return to session on Monday.
Lawmakers plan to use the two-week DHS funding window to negotiate a broader agreement. Democrats insist that any long-term deal must include reforms to immigration enforcement practices.
“We need to rein in ICE and end the violence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, calling for stricter oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He demanded an end to roving patrols, mandatory judicial warrants, visible identification for officers, body cameras, and an end to masked operations. “There should be no secret police,” he added.
Criticism of immigration enforcement tactics has intensified following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, in Minneapolis last weekend. Pretti was shot by a US Border Patrol agent during an altercation in which multiple agents attempted to restrain him.
In response, the US Justice Department announced on Friday that it has launched a civil rights investigation into the incident.
As political negotiations continue, the shutdown underscores deep divisions in Washington over immigration policy, law enforcement accountability, and federal funding priorities.
