Partial government shutdown: what it means for Pentagon, DHS, food aid

The partial government shutdown that began Saturday affects only parts of the federal government, with funding lapsing for the Pentagon and for agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation, according to the Associated Press. The House, which is scheduled to return Monday evening, still must pass the legislation that the Senate already approved Friday, leaving some agencies operating without uninterrupted funding into the new week.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is aiming for the House to take up the package “at least by Tuesday,” as he works to line up votes. The House had hoped to pass funding legislation quickly when lawmakers returned, a step that would have ended the shutdown, but Johnson’s outlook now depends on whether the chamber can move the bill before the impasse deepens.

The funding fight is tied to immigration enforcement policy changes that Democrats have said must be included in the Homeland Security legislation. Democrats were incensed after the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renée Good, by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this month, and they demanded that one of the six remaining funding bills, for DHS and its associated agencies, be stripped from the package passed by the House and be conditioned on changes to immigration enforcement. Their demands include a code of conduct for federal agents and a requirement that officers show identification.

To prevent the shutdown from expanding immediately, the White House reached a deal with Democrats to temporarily fund DHS at current levels for two weeks while negotiations continue. The Senate passed the five-bill funding package on Friday, but it still needs House approval again because the chamber is not returning until Monday, meaning funding lapses could continue temporarily for the agencies covered by the bills awaiting final House action.

The uneven effects also reflect what Congress has already completed. Congress has passed half this year’s funding bills, meaning several federal agencies and programs continue operating through September. At the same time, funding is lapsing at least temporarily for the Pentagon and for agencies such as Homeland Security and Transportation, and workers could go without pay if the impasse lasts longer, with some potentially furloughed.

For disaster response, the shutdown could pressure FEMA if it runs long, the AP reported. Experts said FEMA should have enough money to respond to a major winter storm affecting broad areas of the country, with the agency having about $7 billion to $8 billion in a disaster-response and recovery fund and the staff who run it. But an extended shutdown could create additional strain on that fund and pause other FEMA functions such as writing or renewing National Flood Insurance Program policies, as happened during the 43-day shutdown last year.

The transportation impacts could also grow if federal funding delays persist. Air traffic controllers would still be expected to report for duty, but without pay until a funding bill passes. The AP notes that one of the spending bills awaiting House passage covers the Department of Transportation, which oversees the air traffic control system and its workforce, and that the risk of air travel disruptions could return.

At the State Department, the AP said there was not expected to be a significant effect for the general public, including in countries abroad. Department employees were sent a 73-page memo late Friday stating that passport and visa services and processing would continue, and that embassies and consulates would remain open; some functions, including nonemergency consular notifications and website updates, may be affected. The memo also said that 18,946 of the department’s 27,206 direct-hire American employees are exempted from potential furloughs if the shutdown continues.

For many households, the sharpest difference from the fall shutdown is food assistance. The AP reported that SNAP benefits should not be affected, because the bill that ended the prior shutdown funded the Department of Agriculture and the programs it administers through the remainder of the budget year ending Sept. 30. The federal food program serves about 42 million people, about 1 in 8 Americans in lower-income households, and participants receive an average of around $190 monthly per person, the AP said. The AP also reported that WIC, the federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, is another key program fully funded for the year, providing participants with healthy food and nutrition counseling.