The Senate passed legislation Friday to fund most federal operations through the end of September, but a partial government shutdown is all but certain to take place, likely lasting at least through the weekend.
Funding for 78% of the federal government will lapse midnight Saturday despite a deal struck between Senate Democrats and the White House aimed at averting a shutdown.
The deal separated funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – which oversees the federal law enforcement agencies handling the Trump administration’s controversial immigration crackdown – from a six-bill package that cleared the House last week.
The $1.2 trillion bill cleared the Senate in a 71-29 vote.
But with the House in recess until Monday, the lower chamber is not in a position to approve the Senate’s changes to the so-called “minibus” before the shutdown deadline.
The impacts of a partial weekend shutdown are expected to be limited.
Several agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Interior, Energy, Justice and Commerce are already fully funded through the end of the fiscal year.
The Pentagon and departments of Labor, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Education, Housing and Urban Development and State are among the federal entities set to be impacted by the latest lapse in funding — which follows the record, 43-day-long shutdown last fall.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought instructed federal workers Friday night to prepare for a shutdown.
“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,” Vought wrote in a memo.
“Employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities,” he added.
Senators struggled to pass the House version of the spending bill in the wake of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, 37, by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.
Some lawmakers refused to fund DHS without tying restrictions on federal law enforcement practices to the spending bill.
The deal, backed by Senate leaders and President Trump, provides DHS with two-weeks of funding while lawmakers negotiate limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) tactics. The departments and agencies in the five other spending bills would be funded through the end of September.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has said the new DHS funding should include provisions to force ICE agents to conduct removal operations with “masks off, body cameras on,” beef up rules for the use of warrants, create a unilateral code of conduct for federal agents and “end roving patrols” for deportees.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) held up the revamped legislation Thursday night and into Friday morning, arguing the bipartisan agreement was a “bad deal.”
The South Carolina Republican also appeared upset he wasn’t invited by Trump to the negotiating table.
“The White House is talking to Schumer, great. Well, somebody needs to talk to me. I worked too hard to get here,” Graham told reporters.
“I’m a senator. I like President Trump a lot — he didn’t negotiate with me,” he continued. “When we have this debate two weeks from now about what’s the answer to DHS, I want a seat at the table, I want a vote.”
On Thursday, Trump urged Congress to keep the government open.
“The only thing that can slow our Country down is another long and damaging Government Shutdown,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “I am working hard with Congress to ensure that we are able to fully fund the Government, without delay.”
He added, “Hopefully, both Republicans and Democrats will give a very much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ Vote.”
