Washington: The US government entered a partial shutdown Saturday morning as a midnight funding deadline lapsed, leaving key federal agencies without a budget following a deadlock over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics.

The disruption is expected to be short-lived, as Senate leaders approved a bipartisan deal late Friday to fund most of the government through September. However, because the House of Representatives is out of session until Monday, the technical lapse in funding will remain in effect through the weekend.

The stalemate was triggered by intense Democratic opposition to funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following the high-profile killings of two protesters in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents earlier this month. The deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good have sparked national outrage and derailed what had been a mostly smooth appropriations process.

"Instead of going after drug smugglers, child predators, and human traffickers, the Trump Administration is wasting valuable resources targeting peaceful protestors in Chicago and Minneapolis," Senate Democratic Minority Whip Dick Durbin posted on social media. "This Administration continues to make Americans less safe."

Scope and Impact

While the shutdown technically affects roughly three-quarters of federal operations, including the departments of Defence, Education, Health, and Housing, the immediate practical impact is mitigated by the weekend.

  • Essential Personnel: Employees in roles related to national security and public safety, such as Border Patrol agents and air traffic controllers, are required to work without immediate pay.
  • Furloughs: If the impasse extends past Monday, tens of thousands of "non-essential" federal workers would be placed on unpaid leave.
  • Agency Response: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo late Friday instructing agencies to prepare for an "orderly shutdown," while expressing hope that the lapse would be brief.

The Path to Resolution

The Senate-backed package clears five outstanding funding bills through the end of the fiscal year but provides only a two-week stopgap for DHS. This temporary measure is intended to allow lawmakers to negotiate new "guardrails" on immigration enforcement, including stricter warrant requirements and limits on certain tactical manoeuvres.

The deal nearly collapsed late Thursday when Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina placed a procedural hold on the bill. Graham relented only after Senate leaders promised future votes on his legislation to penalise "sanctuary cities" that do not cooperate with federal deportation efforts.

President Donald Trump has endorsed the Senate compromise and urged the House to act quickly upon its return on Monday to end what is the second shutdown of his second term. Last fall, a record-breaking 35-day shutdown paralysed federal services across the country.

With inputs from AFP