On the night of Saturday, the United States may face the third shutdown of Donald Trump's administration, which will affect the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This became possible after the Senate failed to conduct a vote on the department's budget, reports RIA Novosti.
Recently, senators were unable to secure the necessary votes to continue discussing the DHS budget: 52 votes "for" with a required 60 did not allow moving to the main vote, creating conditions for a partial shutdown.
In the absence of an extension of funding, services such as TSA (Transportation Security Administration), FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), and the Coast Guard may be suspended. Employees of these organizations risk going without pay or being placed on unpaid leave.
The main source of disagreement in the Senate is the DHS budget, which caused a partial shutdown two weeks ago. Senate Democrats insisted on implementing strict measures regarding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after several tragic incidents, including two fatal cases in Minnesota.
At the same time, other federal agencies received budget approval from Congress and Trump's signature before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, allowing them to continue operations without disruptions, even if a partial shutdown begins on Saturday.
ICE and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), however, will be able to use additional funds obtained from Trump's tax reform last year (One Big Beautiful Bill) to support their operations and pay their employees.
It is worth noting that at the end of 2025, the U.S. already experienced the longest government shutdown in its 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 shutdown that occurred was partial and lasted from January 31 to February 3.
