Why US government enters partial shutdown from today | Details inside
The lawmakers expressed confidence that the shutdown might be short-lived. The House may look to ratify a Senate-backed funding deal early next week. A number of non-essential government functions are likely to be impacted until lawmakers pass the funding.
Washington: With the Congress unable to approve 2026 budget before the midnight funding deadline, the United States (US) entered a partial shutdown on Saturday. The shutdown triggered a lapse in federal funding.
Shutdown may be short-lived
The lawmakers, however, expressed confidence that the shutdown might be short-lived. The House may look to ratify a Senate-backed funding deal early next week. A number of non-essential government functions are likely to be impacted until lawmakers pass the funding.
Last year too, the US experience government shutdown. There was a 43-day impasse last year, which was the longest in US history. As per reports, the latest shutdown is expected to be short-lived as several federal departments already have full-year funding in place.
Several US depts need to start a formal shutdown
According to a report published in Bloomberg, a number of important US agencies like Defence, Treasury, Transportation, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Labour departments will need to start formal shutdown procedures during the lapse of the funding. An official said that the government operations might start on Monday if the House clears the funding bill early that day.
Reports suggest that around three-quarters of federal operations are likely to be impacted by the government shutdown. This may also lead to trigger shutdown procedures across agencies, from education and health to housing and defense. Even as federal departments may begin implementing shutdown plans overnight, with Democrats and Republicans believe that the Senate's action have led to a short disruption rather than a prolonged impasse.
‘Trump Administration wasting valuable resources’
Taking to X, Senate Democratic Minority Whip Dick Durbin accused the administration of misusing federal resources. He wrote, "Instead of going after drug smugglers, child predators, and human traffickers, the Trump Administration is wasting valuable resources targeting peaceful protestors in Chicago and Minneapolis." Durbin added, "This Administration continues to make Americans less safe."