The U.S. federal government has entered a partial shutdown again, even though the Senate has approved a budget agreement, because the House of Representatives is still in recess.
Foreign news agencies reported that the U.S. federal government partially shut down on Saturday, 31 Jan 2026, despite senators agreeing at the last minute to approve a budget bill that would fund most agencies through September.
The funding gap began at midnight Saturday Eastern Time because the bill had not yet been approved by the House of Representatives, which remains in recess.
President Donald Trump reached this agreement with the Democratic Party after they refused to increase funding for immigration law enforcement following an incident where federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January.
This marks the second partial federal government shutdown in the past year; the previous one began in October 2025 and lasted 43 days, making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history. It broadly affected key government services, including air travel, and left hundreds of thousands of federal employees unpaid for weeks.
However, it is expected that this latest shutdown will be shorter and less widespread than the previous one, as the House of Representatives is scheduled to resume session on Monday, 2 Feb.
In the meantime, the White House has ordered several agencies, including the Departments of Transportation, Education, and Defense, to implement shutdown contingency plans.
President Trump has urged Republican members, who hold the majority in the House, to vote in favor of the agreement.
Meanwhile, legislators plan to use the next two weeks—while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) still has funding—to negotiate a final agreement. The Democrats want the deal to include new policies for immigration law enforcement officers.
“We need to control ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and end the violence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, referring to the ICE agency.
“That means ending roving patrols, establishing rules, oversight, and warrants... No masked agents, body cameras must be on at all times, and officers must have clear identification. No secret police.”
Both Republican and Democratic legislators have harshly criticized immigration officers’ tactics following the shooting death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last weekend. Authorities claimed self-defense, but video footage showed Pretti neither resisting nor holding a weapon.
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Source:bbc