Partial government shutdown looms after funding deal failure

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

The U.S. Senate failed to advance a package of the six remaining federal funding bills Thursday, leaving less than 40 hours until the federal government partially shuts down.

More than $1.2 trillion is at stake in the House-passed legislation, funding State-Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, and Homeland Security throughout fiscal year 2026.

After the second fatal shooting of a protester in Minneapolis, Democrats are demanding that the Homeland Security appropriations bill include new restrictions on immigration enforcement officers.

“Democrats are ready to avoid a shutdown, but the DHS bill needs serious work,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said on social media post-vote. “Americans are demanding change to ICE’s conduct – we must deliver for them.”

With multiple sectors of the government facing a funding lapse on Jan. 30, and the U.S. House not scheduled to return until Feb. 2, a partial government shutdown is unavoidable – the only question is the scope.

The most likely outcome is that the Senate splits off the $64 billion Homeland Security bill from the package and passes the remaining five, sending them to President Donald Trump’s desk.

Senate leaders would then redraft the Homeland Security bill and include Democrats’ provisions — bans on mask-wearing and roving patrols, body-worn camera requirements, and warrant rule changes, among other things.

But since restructuring and passing that bill could take weeks, senators will almost certainly pass a short-term Continuing Resolution to keep Homeland Security funding on cruise control in the meantime.

In the best-case scenario, funding for the agencies covered under the Homeland Security bill will lapse over the weekend, then freeze at former levels after the House approves the Senate’s CR when it returns.

The vast majority of Americans would remain unaffected by such a brief, small-scale shutdown, unlike during the record 43-day shutdown last year that impacted flights, food stamps and federal loans.