The US government entered a partial shutdown on Saturday after the Senate voted to fund most operations through the end of September. The controversial Homeland Security bill, funding ICE, the Border Patrol and other federal actions, has been granted a temporary extension and Congress has two weeks to debate new restrictions on immigration operations across the country.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC (Bloomberg).Democrats cited the deaths of US citizens Alex Pretty and Renee Nicole Goode in Minneapolis to explain that they would not vote for a larger spending bill unless Congress considered legislation to unmask agents, require more warrants and allow local authorities to help investigate any incidents.
To avoid another shutdown, President Trump and his administration struck a deal with Democrats to temporarily fund DHS at current levels for two weeks while negotiations are concluded. The Senate passed the five-bill funding package on Friday, but it must pass the House again before becoming law. Not coming home until Monday.
When will the House vote?The House will try to pass funding legislation Monday when lawmakers return. However, the chamber’s top Democrat, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, has yet to confirm whether his party will support the DHS funding legislation.
Democrats will “evaluate the spending legislation passed by the Senate on its merits and then determine how to proceed legislatively,” he said.
“The Trump administration must set an ironclad path that will dramatically reform ICE and other DHS agencies that the American people know have become lawless and heavy-handed. It is in the country’s best interest that this be done before Congress reconvenes Monday evening and legislation is brought to the House floor,” Jeffries added.
Have there been previous short or weekend shutdowns?Yes, and generally the effects were not very visible to anyone hoping to use government services.
Trump’s first administration had some of these.
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In January 2018, a dispute over immigration protections resulted in a weekend closure. Some federal workers were furloughed or worked without pay. Benefits like Social Security and Medicare were uninterrupted, many people didn’t notice the shutdown, and federal offices reopened the following Monday after a deal was reached.
In February 2018, the shortest shutdown in US history lasted about nine hours, overnight, and most people didn’t notice any impact. While agencies were technically closed after funding ran out, it was so brief that furlough notices weren’t sent out at all and nothing was closed during business hours.
When will the government open again?If the legislation passes the House, it will reach Trump’s desk. After the President signed the document, the shutdown ended.
(with AP input)
