The Senate voted Friday to fund most of the government through September, but that’s not the end of the process.
WASHINGTON โ The Senate voted Friday to fund most of the government through September, but that by itself won’t prevent a partial government shutdown through the weekend.
The bill passed the Senate in a 71-29 vote after President Donald Trump made a deal with Democrats to carve out Homeland Security funding and allow Congress to debate new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country.
The bill will now head to the House, which is not due back until Monday. That means the government could be in a partial shutdown over the weekend.
The shutdown is set to begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 31.
Trump made a rare deal with Senate Democrats on Thursday in the wake of the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. Under the agreement, the Homeland Security money will continue at current levels for two weeks while lawmakers consider Democratic demands to unmask agents, require more warrants and allow local authorities to help investigate any incidents.
As lawmakers in both parties called for investigations into the fatal shootings by federal agents, Trump said he didnโt want a shutdown and encouraged members of both parties to cast a โmuch needed Bipartisan โYESโ vote.โ
The president’s concessions to Democrats prompted pushback from some Senate Republicans, delaying the final votes and providing a preview of the coming debate over the next two weeks.
What services would a partial government shutdown affect?
A shutdown would affect only half of the government’s agencies. Lawmakers previously approved six of the 12 spending bills needed for the current budget year, including multiple agencies like the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The six remaining budget appropriations bills provide funding for the vast majority of federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP, was massively affected by the previous shutdown in late 2025 but would not be affected this time. The agency has been funded through Sept. 30.
The United States Postal Service isn’t impacted by government shutdowns, as the service’s funding isn’t determined by Congress, according to the American Postal Workers Union.
Airports would remain open, and flights would continue during a partial government shutdown, but airports’ most essential workers would have to work without pay.
Each of the nation’s national parks would remain open because the Department of the Interior was fully funded through Sept. 30.
This article includes previous reporting by Hunter Bassler.
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