The United States federal government has slipped into a partial shutdown after lawmakers failed to complete the passage of all required spending bills before the funding deadline, despite reaching a last-minute agreement in Congress. The shutdown began after midnight when funding lapsed for several government agencies whose budgets had not yet been approved.
The situation unfolded after the Senate reached a bipartisan agreement to keep most parts of the government funded while extending temporary funding for key agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. However, the House of Representatives did not vote on the proposal before the deadline, leaving parts of the government without legal authority to continue full operations.
As a result, non-essential services across affected departments have been suspended, and thousands of federal workers face furloughs or are required to work without pay until funding is restored. Agencies impacted by the shutdown include Homeland Security, Defense, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, State, and the Treasury, among others.
Essential services such as national security, air traffic control, law enforcement, emergency response, and Social Security payments continue to operate, although some administrative delays are expected. The US Postal Service and a few departments with already approved full-year funding remain operational.
The funding deadlock is largely tied to political disagreements over immigration policy and federal spending priorities, particularly funding for border enforcement agencies. Lawmakers have indicated that negotiations will continue, with hopes of resolving the impasse and reopening all affected government operations in the coming days.
Analysts warn that even a short shutdown could disrupt public services, delay government data releases, and affect sectors that rely heavily on federal contracts. Federal workers and citizens alike now await swift legislative action to fully restore government functions and end the shutdown.
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