#USGovernmentShutdownRisk The US federal government is experiencing a partial and short-term shutdown. This began at midnight (00:01 ET, January 31, 2026) due to Congress's inability to finalize a budget/funding agreement, resulting in some federal agencies running out of funds. However:
This is not an action that Trump declared as a "government shutdown."
Trump himself reached an agreement with Senate Democrats (including Chuck Schumer), and the Senate approved this package Friday night.
The agreement funds most federal agencies until September, while funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS - Immigration, ICE, etc.) for only two weeks (until February 13). This extension was granted for reform talks following the killing of two US citizens by ICE agents in Minnesota. The House of Representatives has not yet voted because it is in recess, and a vote is expected no earlier than Monday (February 2). If Trump signs the agreement, the shutdown will largely end.
The effects will be limited over the weekend (most federal employees are not working anyway), will be felt starting Monday, but are expected to be short-lived. Trump's stance: In statements to Truth Social, he said he wanted to avoid a shutdown and was working for a "bipartisan" agreement. He used phrases like "another long shutdown will slow the country down" and sought compromise rather than blaming the Democrats. Not to be confused with the previous shutdown: there was a record 43-day shutdown between October and November 2025 (Trump blamed the Democrats), but that wasn't something Trump said "I'm shutting down"; it was a congressional disagreement that Trump eventually ended by signing. Trump isn't shutting down the government; rather, he's pushing for it to reopen, but the process goes through Congress. The short, partial shutdown has technically begun but seems likely to end quickly.
