Swapna Akhtar

#TrumpEndsShutdown The brief partial government shutdown that began on Saturday, January 31, 2026, has officially come to an end. Yesterday afternoon, February 3, 2026, President Trump signed a $1.2 trillion consolidated appropriations bill in the Oval Office, effectively reopening the federal agencies that had been shuttered for four days. The legislation passed the House of Representatives earlier that day in a narrow 217-214 bipartisan vote after a similar version had cleared the Senate. This deal ensures that 11 out of 12 major government sectors are now fully funded through the end of the fiscal year on September 30. However, the resolution is only a partial victory in the ongoing budget battle. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains on a temporary "patch" and is only funded through February 13. This short-term extension was a strategic move to allow more time for heated negotiations regarding immigration enforcement and ICE operations, particularly following recent controversial incidents in Minneapolis. While federal employees have been directed to return to their stations as of this morning, the threat of another localized shutdown for DHS looms in just ten days if a broader agreement on border and immigration policy is not reached.