The US government is set to enter a partial government shutdown that will last at least several days at midnight tonight as a funding deadline expires. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has confirmed that it has begun the process of preparing for an error.
The US government is headed for a partial shutdown starting tonight as Congress fails to meet funding deadlines. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) (AP)Congress is expected to fail a deadline of 12:01 a.m. Saturday to fund several key federal agencies. The House must still approve the funding plan that the Senate passed late Friday, but that body is not expected until Monday.
Read more: Trump, Democrats say deal averted shutdown
What is a partial shutdown and what does it mean for Americans?A partial shutdown essentially means that funding will run out for several key companies tonight, and operations in several departments will cease while others will continue to operate in limited capacity.
At the root of the current impasse is the inability of Congress to approve the 12 annual appropriations bills needed to fund the federal government for the current fiscal year.
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Given the current situation, many government agencies focused on the market, such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, may face a short funding shortfall.
Apart from these, funding for health and human services, defence, education, transport, treasury, housing and urban development will also stop at midnight.
Affected companies will put non-essential workers on furlough and critical workers may have to work unpaid until funding is restored. The IRS, for example, has told employees that if the shutdown continues next week, all employees will be “exempted from furlough” until Saturday, February 7.
That’s because the agency started this year’s tax filing season last week.
Read more: Government shutdown update: When will new DHS stopgap bills pass House, Senate?
Why did we go to partial shutdown?On Friday, the Senate approved a spending plan that was foreshadowed in a deal between House Democrats and President Donald Trump on Homeland Security (DHS) funding.
To facilitate additional discussions on immigration enforcement reform demands, Senate leaders and the White House reached a bipartisan deal to split funding for DHS from the larger package.
Democrats have called for more sanctions on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement push after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pratt on Jan. 24.
