The House passed H.R. 7148 on February 3 by a narrow 217-214 vote, ending a brief weekend partial shutdown and funding Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, State, and Financial Services through September 30, 2026. DHS funding lapsed February 13 after talks over immigration enforcement reforms collapsed, triggering a second partial shutdown covering only DHS agencies: TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA.
Democrats want ICE and CBP reforms including body cameras, use-of-force codes, and restrictions on roving patrols. Those demands followed the January 24 fatal shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. Trump has signaled opposition to some Democratic proposals, particularly the requirement that ICE agents remove masks during operations.
Congress has enacted 11 of 12 FY2026 appropriations bills through regular order — no Congress has done that in over two decades. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed July 2025, covers about two-thirds of DHS's budget through alternative funding and limits furloughs to approximately 8 percent of the workforce. Most essential employees (TSA officers, Coast Guard personnel) continue without pay; lawmakers return February 23, but the shutdown may extend through the State of the Union on February 24.
Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.
James Baldwin
(1924-1987) ·Civil Rights · politics
Fictional AI pastiche — not real quote.
"The machinery of government grinds to a halt not over the question of whether we shall feed our children or heal our sick, but over how much violence we are prepared to permit in the name of order. They have discovered, once again, that it is easier to fund an army than to reckon with what that army does to a nurse in Minneapolis—and they call this "bipartisan breakthrough," as though we do not understand that the only thing upon which they truly agree is what they wish us not to see."
100% found this insightful
Mary Wollstonecraft
(1759-1797) ·Enlightenment · politics
Fictional AI pastiche — not real quote.
"When the purse strings of government become weapons in partisan warfare, it is not the powerful who suffer the consequences of shutdown, but the common citizen whose daily bread depends upon orderly governance. How remarkable that in an age of such plenty and enlightenment, those entrusted with the public good still mistake the theater of obstruction for the work of representation—while a nurse lies dead, shot by the very state meant to protect him."
100% found this insightful
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25 events
Latest: February 13th, 2026 · 4 months ago
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February 2026
DHS Funding Lapses; Second Partial Shutdown Begins
LatestCrisis
Department of Homeland Security funding expires after negotiations over immigration enforcement reforms collapse. Shutdown affects TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA, and other DHS agencies; roughly 8% of workforce furloughed due to OBBBA alternative funding.
Democrats Submit Counteroffer on ICE Reforms
Negotiation
Senate Democrats send revised proposal to White House and Republicans outlining three core demands: end roving ICE patrols, implement use-of-force code, require body cameras and removal of masks. Republicans signal opposition to mask requirement on officer safety grounds.
House Passes H.R. 7148 by 217-214; First Shutdown Ends
Legislative Victory
House narrowly approved Senate amendments to Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, funding Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, State, and Financial Services through September 30. DHS receives two-week continuing resolution through February 13. Shutdown ends after weekend lapse.
January 2026
Partial Government Shutdown Begins
Crisis
Shutdown began for Defense, Labor-HHS, Transportation-HUD, State, and Financial Services agencies after House failed to vote before midnight deadline. Expected to last only through weekend as House returns Monday.
Senate Passes Five-Bill Package Plus DHS Continuing Resolution 71-29
Legislative Victory
Senate approved compromise funding Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, State, and Financial Services through September while extending DHS funding for two weeks through February 13. Bipartisan vote sends package to House.
Speaker Johnson Pledges House Vote Monday, Trump Endorses Deal
Political Development
House Speaker Mike Johnson told GOP conference he will support Senate-passed compromise and bring it to vote when House returns Monday. President Trump publicly endorsed the package.
Democrats, Republicans, and White House Reach Compromise to Split DHS Funding
Negotiation
After failed cloture vote, negotiators agreed to separate DHS funding from the package. Five bills (Defense, Labor-HHS, Transportation-HUD, State, Financial Services) would receive full-year funding through September 30, while DHS operates on a two-week continuing resolution through February 13. Despite agreement, short-term shutdown appears inevitable as House is in recess until Monday.
Senate rejected procedural motion to advance six-bill funding package, falling 15 votes short of the 60 needed. Eight Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the package due to DHS funding inclusion following Minneapolis shootings.
Senate canceled Monday votes due to Winter Storm Fern hitting Washington, reducing available legislative days before January 30 shutdown deadline.
H.R. 7148 and H.R. 7147 Received in Senate
Legislative Process
Senate received final two House-passed appropriations bills: H.R. 7148 (Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD) and H.R. 7147 (Homeland Security).
Federal Agents Kill U.S. Citizen in Minneapolis
Crisis
Department of Homeland Security agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis—the second fatal shooting by federal immigration officers in the city within three weeks.
House Passes Final Appropriations Bills, Completing All Twelve
Legislative Victory
House passed H.R. 7148 (Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD) 341-88 and H.R. 7147 (Homeland Security) 220-207, completing House action on all twelve FY2026 appropriations bills.
Appropriations Committees Release Final $1.2T Package
Legislative Process
House and Senate Appropriations Committees released conference text for final four bills: Defense, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-HUD, totaling approximately $1.2 trillion.
President Trump Signs H.R. 6938 Into Law
Legislative Victory
President Trump signed the Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy-Water, and Interior-Environment appropriations package, bringing total enacted FY2026 bills to nine of twelve.
Senate Passes H.R. 6938 by 82-15, Sends to President
Legislative Victory
Senate approved Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy-Water, and Interior-Environment package with overwhelming bipartisan support. Bill consolidates three appropriations bills totaling over $60 billion.
House Passes Financial Services and State Department Package 341-79
Legislative Process
House approved H.R. 7006, providing $76.6 billion for Financial Services-General Government and National Security-State Department programs. Bill awaits Senate action.
House Passes $60B+ Appropriations Package 397-28
Legislative Victory
House passed H.R. 6938 by overwhelming bipartisan vote, funding nuclear modernization, anti-cartel enforcement, infrastructure, and grid resilience. Six of twelve FY2026 bills now enacted.
H.R. 6938 received second reading in Senate. Senator Lisa Murkowski filed cloture on motion to proceed, setting up January 12 vote at 5:30 PM to advance the three-bill appropriations package.
House Rules Committee Advances Three-Bill Package
Legislative Process
Rules Committee voted 8-3 to advance H.R. 6938, clearing the way for floor consideration of Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, and Interior-Environment appropriations.
December 2025
Cole-Collins Reach Bicameral Funding Deal
Negotiation
Chairman Tom Cole and Chair Susan Collins announced agreement on allocations for remaining nine bills, setting spending below CR levels.
November 2025
43-Day Shutdown Ends; First Three Bills Enacted
Resolution
President Trump signed H.R. 5371, ending the longest government shutdown in history and enacting Agriculture, Military Construction/VA, and Legislative Branch appropriations through September 30, 2026. Continuing resolution funds remaining agencies through January 30, 2026.
October 2025
Government Shutdown Begins
Crisis
Federal government shut down as fiscal year began without enacted appropriations, starting what would become the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
July 2025
House Committee Adopts Allocations on Party-Line Vote
Legislative Process
House Appropriations Committee adopted full FY2026 subcommittee allocations by partisan 35-26 vote, signaling deep divisions.
June 2025
House Committee Begins FY2026 Markups
Legislative Process
House Appropriations Committee started marking up FY2026 spending bills, beginning the formal appropriations process.
May 2025
Trump Submits 'Skinny Budget' for FY2026
Budget Development
President Trump submitted an abbreviated FY2026 budget proposal to Congress, setting the stage for appropriations battles.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 3
November 1995 - January 1996
1995-96 Clinton-Gingrich Shutdowns
House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Republican-controlled Congress clashed with President Bill Clinton over budget cuts, leading to two shutdowns totaling 26 days. Gingrich demanded deep spending cuts and wanted to use Congressional Budget Office projections showing less optimistic revenue, requiring steeper cuts than Clinton would accept. The standoff became personal when Gingrich publicly complained about feeling snubbed on Air Force One, earning tabloid ridicule and political backlash.
Then
Republicans accepted Clinton's budget after 21-day shutdown; public polling blamed GOP for the crisis.
Now
Clinton's handling boosted his 1996 reelection; the episode became a cautionary tale about shutdown politics for a generation.
Why this matters now
The 1995-96 shutdowns demonstrated that voters punish the party seen as causing gridlock, a lesson that may explain why both parties sought bipartisan deals to end the 2025 shutdown and avoid another before January 30, 2026.
2 of 3
December 2018 - January 2019
2018-19 Trump Border Wall Shutdown
President Trump demanded $5.7 billion for a border wall along the southern border, telling Democratic leaders in a televised Oval Office meeting, "I am proud to shut down the government for border security." When Congress refused, the government closed for 35 days—then the longest shutdown in history. Some 380,000 federal workers were furloughed while another 420,000 worked without pay.
Then
Trump signed a stopgap bill on January 25, 2019, reopening government until February 15 without wall funding.
Now
Trump's initial demand failed; he later declared a national emergency to redirect military construction funds to the wall.
Why this matters now
The 2018-19 shutdown held the "longest ever" record until the 2025 FY2026 shutdown surpassed it at 43 days, showing how budget standoffs have grown more severe. Both episodes illustrate the limits of presidential leverage when Senate rules require bipartisan support.
3 of 3
1977 - Present
Congressional Appropriations Struggles Since 1977
Congress has struggled to pass all appropriations bills on time for decades, succeeding only four times since the current budget process began in 1977 (fiscal years 1977, 1989, 1995, and 1997). Twenty-one funding gaps have occurred since 1980, when Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti's legal opinion required shutdowns during lapses. About half lasted three days or less, but several stretched for weeks.
Then
Most years end with omnibus packages or continuing resolutions rather than individual bills passed through regular order.
Now
The breakdown of regular order concentrates power in leadership hands and reduces transparency in spending decisions.
Why this matters now
The FY2026 process mirrors this historical pattern: partisan gridlock, missed deadlines, a shutdown, and eventual bipartisan deals. Chairman Cole's push for regular order represents an attempt to break the cycle—but with only six of twelve bills enacted and a January 30 deadline looming, history suggests another omnibus may be inevitable.
