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Government Shutdown Updates: 2026

Date postedFebruary 1, 2026
Posted By: Mary Alice Scott Advocacy + Government,

Once again, the federal government has failed to pass the necessary spending bills in order to keep the entire government open and running.

Unlike last October's shutdown, which was the longest government shutdown in history, Washington insiders feel confident that this shutdown will be shorter-lived and less impactful for nonprofits and the communities they serve.

We will provide updates below as the shutdown continues.

Hill Updates

Today is Day 4 of the partial government shutdown, impacting 78% of the federal discretionary budget.

Yesterday, House leaders passed the first hurdle to enacting a legislative package to reopen and fund key agencies in the federal government: the Rules Committee voted to bring the measure to the House floor for a vote as soon as today. Votes on the legislative package are slated to begin at 1pm ET.

According to media reports, Speaker Johnson (R-LA) garnered enough support within the Republican caucus to advance out of the Rules Committee after striking a deal with some House conservatives who wanted to add legislation to the spending measure to require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections.

The White House and House leaders allegedly promised the Representatives that they would bring their election bill to the House and Senate floor for a vote, and that the Senate would change its rules regarding a filibuster. The change would mandate a "talking filibuster," which would require a Senator or group of Senators to speak on the Senate floor for an extended period—sometimes for hours or days—to delay or block a vote on legislation. This would make it easier for the bill to pass the Senate because the filibuster would end once a senator stops speaking and no other senator takes the floor to continue the debate. Senate Leader Thune (R-SD), however, hasn't acknowledged or confirmed the agreement.

Federal Government Reopens After Partial Shutdown. Congress and the White House enacted bipartisan legislation on February 3 to reopen and fund key federal agencies, ending a four-day partial federal government shutdown. The legislative package included full-year funding for five federal spending bills. As a result, Congress has now enacted 11 of the 12 spending bills needed. Funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was temporarily extended to February 13, giving lawmakers only a few days to negotiate proposed changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations following the killing of two people by federal agents in Minnesota. If Congress cannot reach an agreement, it risks another partial shutdown that will affect the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies within DHS.

Today is Day 3 of the partial government shutdown, impacting 78% of the federal discretionary budget.

All eyes are on the House as it prepares to vote as soon as tomorrow on a legislative package to reopen and fund key federal agencies. The legislative package provides full-year funding for five of the remaining spending bills, and it extends funding for two weeks for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

After House Democrats warned Speaker Johnson (R-LA) over the weekend that they would withhold the votes needed to fast-track the spending package, House Republicans are meeting today to discuss their strategy for moving forward. Speaker Johnson is facing increased pressure to keep his razor-thin majority aligned, despite disagreement among conservatives about whether to support the legislation, or whether to push for their own changes. President Trump has endorsed the legislative package and is urging House members to get on board. Some House Republicans, however, want to attach a bill to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. If the House makes any changes, the legislative package would need to go back to the Senate for another vote before it could be passed into law, effectively ending the shutdown.

The House Rules Committee is expected to meet this afternoon at 4pm ET to tee up the vote for tomorrow. The Rules Committee will provide us with an early glimpse in whether there may be additional delays in enacting the legislative package. NCN will continue to monitor any developments.

Overall, there is a strong desire to keep this partial shutdown as short-term as possible. Right now, the impact on federal agencies is minimal, but if the shutdown continues into next week, it could start to hurt TSA workers, air traffic controllers, Headstart programs, and more.

After Congress reopens the government, it will have two weeks to contend with demands by Democrats to make changes to ICE operations. If Congress and the White House cannot reach a deal over ICE policy, we could see DHS shut down starting on February 14 (though ICE and CBP operations would continue due to supplemental funding enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year).
Parts of the federal government shutdown yesterday morning after Congress and the White House failed to pass into law the spending bills needed to keep major federal agencies funded and open. The soonest the federal government could reopen is Tuesday.
The partial shutdown, which impacts 78% of the federal discretionary budget, could be short-lived. The Senate voted to approve a legislative package late Friday night to provide full-year funding for five federal spending bills and to extend temporary funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for another two weeks. The short-term continuing resolution gives lawmakers additional time to negotiate policy changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, following the killing of a second person in Minnesota by federal agents.
The spending package now heads to the House for a vote as soon as Tuesday. The timeline slipped a day after Minority Leader Jeffries (D-NY) informed Speaker Johnson (R-LA) that House Democrats would not support efforts to fast-track the measure because it includes funding for DHS without any reforms. House leaders must now garner support from virtually every House Republican in order to pass the legislation, including those who have already raised objections. Some conservative House members, for example, want to attach legislation to the spending package that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
A partial government shutdown over the weekend is guaranteed, as federal funding runs out tonight at midnight. After some delays, Congress is on track to enact a spending package as soon as early next week to reopen and fund the government, potentially limiting the harm caused by a partial shutdown on nonprofits and the communities they serve.
The White House and Senate Democrats reached an agreement yesterday to advance five full-year spending bills, paired with a two-week extension of funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as lawmakers continue to negotiate policy changes to ICE operations. Despite the agreement, votes on the spending package stalled late last night after Senator Graham (R-SC) withheld his support. After several hours of delay, Graham has now signaled that he is willing to let the spending package advance so long as the Senate holds a vote on legislation on sanctuary cities and other priorities - legislation that could have a significant, harmful impact on nonprofits in those jurisdictions.
The Senate is slated to vote on the spending package later today. An exact time for voting has not been announced, but approval is expected. After the spending package passes the Senate, the House will vote on the measure as soon as Monday when Representatives return from recess. 
This guarantees at least a short-lived partial shutdown impacting 78% of the federal discretionary budget over the weekend. If the House approves the measure early next week, however, the impacts of the partial shutdown are expected to be limited. Federal agencies will release starting today contingency plans outlining which federal employees will be instructed to stop working, and which are deemed "essential" and must continue their work.

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