- A partial U.S. government shutdown will begin at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday if the Senate fails to advance a spending measure by then.
- Democrats are warning they will not vote for the package unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security is stripped.
- Stripping the DHS funding would require reapproval by the House, which is on recess this week and has not announced plans to return by the deadline.
- The IRS is among agencies that would see funding lapse.
The U.S. government is on the brink of a partial shutdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday in large part because of a second recent killing of a U.S. citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis. It would be different than last year’s shutdown.
The killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, has galvanized fierce Senate Democratic opposition to a House-passed measure providing funding for the Department of Homeland Security and a slew of other agencies. The more-than-$1.2 trillion package cleared the House of Representatives last week and accounts for the bulk of government spending for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
Democratic support will be required to pass the bill, which needs 60 votes to avert the filibuster in the Senate that Republicans control 53-47. Democrats are demanding the DHS portion be stripped in exchange for their votes, something Republicans have signaled they will not do.
MORE:
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/27/us-government-shutdown-over-dhs-funding.html