The federal government of the United States has partially closed down, even after a last-minute funding agreement was passed by the US Senate. This funding gap started at midnight Eastern Time on Saturday, just hours after senators decided to fund most government agencies until September. The bill included a two-week exception for the Department of Homeland Security, which manages immigration enforcement. The US House of Representatives has not yet approved the bill and is currently not in session. President Donald Trump made the deal with Democrats after they declined to provide additional funding for immigration efforts following the shooting deaths of two US citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents. This marks the second government shutdown in the last year, occurring only 11 weeks after the previous funding crisis that lasted 43 days, the longest in US history. That shutdown, which took place from October 1 to November 14, 2025, severely affected essential government services such as air travel and left many federal workers without pay for weeks. However, this current shutdown is not expected to last as long or have as severe effects since the House of Representatives will return to session on Monday. Meanwhile, the White House has instructed several agencies, including transportation, education, and defense, to prepare for the shutdown. A memo from the White House advised, "Employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities. We hope this lapse will be brief."
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