Partial government shutdown begins as funding lapses despite Senate deal
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What to know about the partial government shutdown:
Dozens of federal agencies saw their funding lapse at 12 a.m. Saturday, kicking off a partial government shutdown
The Senate passed a funding package late Friday after striking a bipartisan deal, but the agreement still needs the approval of the House, which is not expected to return to Washington until Monday.
Democrats reached a deal with the White House on Thursday after raising objections about funding for immigration agencies. It involves passing five long-term spending bills while extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks to allow for talks over reforms to immigration enforcement.
The Senate voted on final passage of the funding deal hours ahead of the deadline Friday evening after votes on several amendments. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who had initially objected to fast-tracking the agreement, said earlier in the day that he would allow it to move forward.
The effects of a partial shutdown will be minimal if the House is able to finalize the plan early next week. There is little appetite in Washington for a prolonged shutdown like the one that lasted 43 days in the fall.
Partial government shutdown begins
Funding for the Pentagon, the State Department, the Treasury and many other agencies has officially lapsed, triggering a partial government shutdown.
The shutdown could be short-lived and have few tangible effects if the House swiftly approves a funding deal that was passed by the Senate on Friday. The lower chamber returns to Washington on Monday.
Some other agencies will be unaffected by the shutdown because Congress has already approved funding for them, including the Justice Department, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Jeffries won't say whether House Democrats will support the Senate-passed funding package
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries won't say whether Democrats in the lower chamber will back the Senate-passed funding legislation.
In a statement, Jeffries said House Democrats "will evaluate the spending legislation passed by the Senate on its merits and then decide how to proceed legislatively."
"The Trump administration must set forth an ironclad path that dramatically reforms ICE and other DHS agencies that the American people know have become lawless and heavy-handed. It is in the best interest of the country that this is done before the Congress reconvenes on Monday evening and legislation is brought to the House floor," he said.
OMB tells affected agencies to begin executing plans for shutdown
In a memo to department heads on Friday, the director of the Office of Management and Budget directed affected agencies whose funding will lapse at midnight to begin preparing for a shutdown.
Those include the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, among others.
"As it is now clear that Congress will not complete its work before the expiration of appropriations, affected agencies should now execute plans for an orderly shutdown. Employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities," the letter from Russ Vought said.
"The Administration will continue working with the Congress to address recently raised concerns to complete appropriations for Fiscal Year 2026. It is our hope that this lapse will be short," Vought said.
Thune on DHS negotiations: "It's going to be really, really hard to get anything done"
Senate Majority Leader John Thune expects it will be a heavy lift to reach a bipartisan agreement on DHS funding in the next two weeks.
"I wish they'd given us more time," the South Dakota Republican told reporters. "I just think it's going to be really, really hard to get anything done and then actually execute on the procedures and process we have in the Senate, even if there's an agreement."
"There are some pretty significant differences of opinion," Thune added.
Schumer vows Democrats will stand united against long-term DHS funding without ICE reforms
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said there will have to be "strong, common-sense legislation that reins in ICE" in order for Democrats to support long-term funding for DHS.
"If our colleagues are not willing to enact real change, they should not expect Democratic votes," the New York Democrat told reporters at a news conference after passage of the funding deal.
The reforms sought by Democrats include requiring federal officers to wear body cameras, banning officers from wearing masks and mandating judicial warrants for arrests, as well as ending roving patrols.
Schumer said Democrats intend to negotiate with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, not President Trump, to find a path to 60 votes — the threshold needed for passage in the upper chamber. He also said public opinion is in Democrats' favor on the issue given recent events in Minnesota.
"I'm going to talk to Thune. Whatever he wants to say to Trump … if Trump can be constructive, great. But right now Trump is being destructive," Schumer said. "Thune and I are the two leads on the negotiation."
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said over the next few days Senate Democrats "will be focused on negotiating real restraints to put an end to the chaos we're seeing on our streets."
Senate approves funding package in 71 to 29 vote, sending it to the House
The Senate approved the funding package in a 71 to 29 bipartisan vote hours ahead of the deadline to fund the government.
Funding is still set to lapse at midnight, since the House must approve the legislation. The lower chamber is set to return to Washington on Monday. The impact of the funding lapse could be minimal if the House is able to quickly approve the legislation and get it to the president for his signature.
Senate now voting on final passage
The Senate is now voting on final passage of the funding package.
As part of the funding deal, senators agreed to substitute the DHS funding bill in the package for a two-week extension of funding for the department at current levels. The move comes as part of the agreement sought by Democrats to negotiate immigration enforcement reforms within the funding measure for DHS, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol.
Senate rejects Merkley amendment
In a 52 to 47 vote, the Senate rejected Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon's amendment.
Senate rejects Sanders amendment, now voting on Merkley's proposal to bar rescissions
The Senate rejected independent Sen. Bernie Sanders' amendment on ICE funding in a 49 to 51 vote.
His amendment would have repealed the $75 billion funding increase that ICE received as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and redirect those funds to Medicaid.
Two Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voted with Democrats in favor of the amendment.
Merkley also introduced an amendment that would bar the clawback of funds already approved by Congress within 90 days of their expiration, which the Senate is now voting on.
Last year, Congress passed legislation at the request of the president to rescind $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding, angering Democrats and some Republicans. In August, Mr. Trump moved to rescind almost $5 billion in foreign aid funds through a rarely used maneuver known as a pocket rescission, aiming to withhold funds unilaterally.
Senate tables Lee's third amendment, moves to Sanders amendment on ICE funds
The Senate tabled Republican Sen. Mike Lee's third amendment in a 58 to 42 vote. The amendment aimed to defund the United States African Development Foundation, citing allegations of corruption against one of its leaders.
Senators are now voting on an amendment from Sanders on ICE funding.
"When you give ICE that huge amount of money, you are not talking about an agency for immigration and customs enforcement, you are talking about a domestic army," Sanders said. "We don't need a domestic army in America to terrorize people, we need to guarantee healthcare to all Americans."
Unlike the other amendments in this vote series, 60 votes are needed for adoption.
Senate blocks another Lee amendment, takes up third proposal
In a 58 to 42 vote, the Senate blocked a second amendment from Lee that would strike an earmark for a community and training center for a New York nonprofit that serves immigrants.
Senate blocks Lee amendment, takes up proposal to end earmark on immigration training
Senators blocked an amendment from Lee to remove earmarks from the funding package, in a 67 to 33 vote.
The upper chamber is moving on to a second amendment from Lee.
Schmitt amendment falls short, Senate takes up Lee earmarks proposal
The Senate rejected an amendment from GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri by voice vote. The amendment was related to the National Endowment for Democracy, which Schmitt said had drifted from its intended purpose to support democratic institutions around the world.
The chamber is now considering an amendment from Lee to remove earmarks from the funding package. Sen. Susan Collins, the top GOP appropriator who negotiated the funding package, spoke in opposition to the amendment, stressing that "members of Congress understand the needs of our constituents far better than any well-intentioned federal employee located here in Washington."
Senate voting on Rand Paul amendment on Minnesota fraud
The Senate is voting on the first amendment in the series of seven.
Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, advocated for his amendment concerning fraud in Minnesota welfare programs on the Senate floor ahead of vote.
Paul said his amendment would dictate "no more welfare for refugees until a nationwide investigation of the level of this fraud," and until "Congress balances the budget."
"America can't be the world's sugar daddy when we can't even afford the welfare for our own citizens," Paul said.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, spoke in opposition to the amendment, calling it "ill-advised" and urging senators to oppose it.
Graham says he will lift his hold and vote for funding package
After stalling votes earlier, Graham said he secured an agreement from Thune to vote on legislation to crackdown on sanctuary cities and to allow broader lawsuits stemming from special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the 2020 election.
"He just informed me that he is supportive of my efforts to have a vote on my bill to end sanctuary city policies once and for all, by making it a federal crime for state and local officials to willfully violate federal immigration laws," Graham said in a statement. "Leader Thune also supports, at a time to be determined, a vote on creating the ability for groups and private citizens, not members of Congress, that may have been harmed by Jack Smith and the Biden DOJ to have their day in court."
"I will lift my hold and vote for the package," he said.
The votes on Graham's proposals are expected at a later date.
Thune locks in time agreement, allowing votes on funding deal to move forward
Thune locked in a time agreement for votes on the funding package, with votes on seven amendments.
The majority leader told reporters heading into the Senate chamber that votes would begin "soon."
Thune: "We're getting closer"
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters at the Capitol that leaders are "still working on a couple things" as they look to address member opposition and set up the votes on the funding plan.
"We're getting closer," Thune added
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis: "If we have a shutdown, we own it"
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, took to the Senate floor to criticize GOP holdups, encouraging his colleagues to move ahead with the plan to fund the government.
"We're going to shut down the government because some Republicans refuse to take a win," Tillis said.
Tillis said Mr. Trump "agrees with what we can do to avoid a shutdown," citing his endorsement of the deal with Senate Democrats on Thursday night.
"If we have a shutdown, we own it," Tillis added.
The North Carolina Republican argued it's "wrong for us to shut down the government to make a point." And he said the vast majority of Republicans are "ready to go."
"If we shut the government down today, we created the problem — and we need to fix it," he said.