President Donald Trump is warning that Washington is once again steering toward a partial government shutdown, only months after a record-breaking funding lapse rattled federal operations and taxpayers alike.
Speaking with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News Mornings with Maria, President Trump squarely blamed Democrats for the looming standoff. According to One America News, he cautioned, I think we have a problem, because I think were going to probably end up in another Democrat shutdown, adding, The [prior] shutdown cost us a lot, and I think theyll probably do it again. Thats my feeling. Well see what happens.
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have set January 30 as the deadline to approve additional appropriations and keep the government open. Failure to act by that date would trigger another funding lapse, disrupting services and paychecks for federal workers.
So far, Congress has managed to pass only six of the 12 annual spending bills required to finance the government for the rest of the fiscal year. The slow pace reflects deep partisan divisions, particularly over border security and immigration enforcement, issues that conservatives argue are central to national sovereignty and public safety.
The House recently advanced a two-bill minibus package to fund the Departments of State and Treasury, a relatively noncontroversial step. That legislation is expected to reach the Senate floor once lawmakers return from recess next week, but it does not resolve the more contentious disputes.
At the center of the current impasse is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, now the primary battleground in the broader budget fight. Conservatives view robust DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding as essential to restoring order at the southern border after years of lax enforcement under progressive policies.
Tensions escalated following immigration-related operations in Minneapolis earlier this month, which Democrats have seized upon to demand sweeping changes to ICE oversight. They are now insisting on a significant overhaul of ICE funding and have signaled they will block the DHS bill unless it includes stringent new oversight and conduct guidelines, a move Republicans say would hamstring law enforcement.
The last shutdown, from October 1 to November 12, 2025, was driven by Senate Democrats insistence on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies beyond their scheduled year-end expiration. That 43-day funding lapse was the longest in U.S. history, surpassing the 35-day shutdown in 2018 during Trumps first term, and it now serves as a stark warning as both parties test how far they are willing to go in this latest budget showdown.
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