Less than three months after a record-breaking 43-day shutdown, the government is once again facing a funding lapse. However, the partial shutdown that started Saturday has key differences from the fall shutdown, and leaders are optimistic it will be resolved quickly.
In the final hours before the deadline on Friday, the Senate voted to fund most of the government through the end of the fiscal year and give Homeland Security a two-week funding extension to give time to debate new restrictions on federal immigration raids.
The five-bill funding package passed the Senate in a 71-29 vote, but it must now pass the House again before becoming law. The House returned today and Speaker Mike Johnson plans to hold a vote as soon as possible. The $1.2 trillion package could face additional challenges from both sides of the aisle. Many House Republicans have already said they will oppose any Senate changes to what the House already passed, while many House Democrats are opposed to stopgap funding for DHS without immediate new restrictions. If the deal gets signed into law, Congress will have approved over 95% of federal funding, leaving only the full-year DHS bill left to debate.
Congress has already funded a number of services which otherwise would have a significant public impact during shutdowns, including SNAP and WIC programs, national parks, departments of Energy, Commerce, Justice, Agriculture, Interior and Veteran’s Affairs, the EPA, congressional operations, the FDA, and federal science programs.
The funding lapse affects the Pentagon and agencies including the Transportation Department and DHS, labor, housing, education and health programs, the IRS, State Department, and Treasury Department.