Part of the US government "shutdown" is expected to end as early as Tuesday

Starting last Saturday (January 31), multiple U.S. government departments experienced a “partial shutdown.” Unlike the record-breaking shutdown last fall, this shutdown may not last long, but it will at least continue until Tuesday (February 3).

This is mainly due to opposition from Democrats and internal disputes within the Republican Party. The House of Representatives will not vote on a $1.2 trillion funding bill until February 3 at the earliest.

In fact, the government funding process was initially progressing smoothly, and key members of the House and Senate had reached a bipartisan consensus. However, the incident in Minneapolis in January, where federal agents shot and killed U.S. citizens Alex Preti and Renee Good, changed the situation.

After Preti’s death, Democrats demanded the removal of one of the remaining six appropriations bills for the Department of Homeland Security and its subordinate agencies from the funding bill passed by the House. They stated that the bill must include reforms in immigration enforcement, including establishing federal law enforcement conduct standards and requiring officers to present identification.

So far, Congress has passed half of this year’s appropriations bills, ensuring that several important federal agencies and programs can continue operating until September.

However, funding for the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Transportation has not been included. While the basic functions of these departments will continue, if the deadlock persists, staff may be forced to go unpaid, and some employees may even be forced to take leave.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is also affected by the funding shortage.

Although FEMA currently has enough funds (about $7 billion to $8 billion) to respond to the severe storms still ravaging various parts of the U.S. and to pay related staff, a prolonged government shutdown could create greater financial pressure, especially if new disasters occur.

Airport flights will also face the risk of disruption again. Although air traffic controllers are still required to work, they will be temporarily unpaid until the funding bill is passed.

It is reported that Republican leaders in the House have scheduled a meeting of the House Rules Committee on February 2, the day the House reconvenes, to prepare for a full House review of the massive spending bill passed by the Senate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence that the government will reopen on February 3.

According to two sources cited by the U.S. Political News Network, procedural steps to pave the way for a final vote will not occur until Tuesday. If these steps are approved, the bill will then be passed finally.

This is one day later than the date Republican leaders hoped to resolve the issue. Their previous plan was to pass the bill quickly with Democratic help, requiring only a two-thirds majority.

However, informed sources revealed that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Johnson in a private conversation last Saturday that Democratic leadership would not help Johnson secure approximately 70 Democratic votes needed for the bill to pass, complicating the plan.

On January 31, Jeffries stated that Republicans “cannot simply push legislation with an attitude of ‘either listen to me or get out of the way.’”

He did not rule out the possibility that Democrats might support the Senate-passed spending plan, which funds most federal agencies through September 30 and provides a two-week budget extension for the Department of Homeland Security, including immigration enforcement agencies.

Jeffries said Democrats want “to find a strong way to achieve the reforms in immigration enforcement that the American people are demanding.”