On the night of Saturday, a third shutdown related to the activities of Donald Trump's administration may begin in the United States, affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This follows an unsuccessful vote on the department's budget in the Senate, reports RIA Novosti.
Recently, senators were unable to conduct a procedural vote on the DHS budget, receiving only 52 votes in favor when 60 were needed. This stalled further discussion of the bill and brought a partial shutdown closer.
If DHS funding is not extended, it will lead to the suspension of operations of services such as TSA (Transportation Security Administration), FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), and the Coast Guard. Employees of these organizations may find themselves without pay or be placed on unpaid leave.
Debates over the DHS budget have caused serious disagreements in the Senate and led to a partial shutdown two weeks ago. This situation arose due to demands from some Senate Democrats regarding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following several incidents, including two fatalities in Minnesota involving federal agents.
Funding for other federal agencies was approved by Congress and signed by Trump before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, so their operations will not be disrupted, even if a partial shutdown begins on Saturday.
However, ICE and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be able to use additional funds allocated under last year's Trump tax reform (One Big Beautiful Bill) to continue their work and pay their employees.
It is worth noting that at the end of 2025, the U.S. experienced the longest government shutdown in history, lasting 43 days—from October 1 to November 12. At that time, lawmakers agreed to extend funding until January 30 of the current year. The second partial shutdown occurred from January 31 to February 3.
