Lawmakers and the White House offered no signs of compromise over the holiday weekend in their battle over oversight of federal immigration officers that has led to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security. A partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump ’s team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund the department through September.
Democrats are demanding changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.
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Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures are narrowly confined, affecting only agencies under the DHS umbrella, including the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. But the work of ICE and CBP will mostly continue unabated, thanks to billions in funding from Trump’s 2025 tax and spending cut law.
The latest:
Trump demands local leaders ask him for help on DC sewage spill
The president kept up his drumbeat against leaders in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia over a sewage spill in the Potomac River that could be one of the largest in U.S. history.
A January pipe rupture sent sewage into the river that runs through the nation’s capital region. Trump demanded in a social media post Tuesday that local leaders “must get to work, IMMEDIATELY” to clean up the spill.
“If they can’t do the job, they have to call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed,” Trump said. “The Federal Government is not at all involved with what has taken place, but we can fix it.”
Trump is blaming local leaders despite a D.C.-based water authority and the federal government having jurisdiction over the broken pipe. It’s under the oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Trump also used the spill to blame Democrats for the ongoing partial shutdown, even though the EPA is fully operational. The president has said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is affected by the shutdown, will play a key role in coordinating the response.
How will the partial shutdown impact travelers?
It’s hard to predict whether, when or where security screening snags might pop up. Transportation Security Administration officers are expected to work without pay while lawmakers remain without an agreement on DHS’ annual funding.
But even a handful of unscheduled TSA absences could quickly lead to longer wait times at smaller airports, for example, if there’s just a single security checkpoint. Shortages of TSA officers also could slow the screening of checked luggage behind the scenes.
Experts say flight delays are also possible even though air traffic controllers are not affected by the shutdown.
What can travelers do to prepare?
1. Plan to arrive early and allow extra time to get through security
2. Pay close attention while packing, since prohibited items are likely to prolong the screening process
3. Avoid bringing full-size shampoo or other liquids, large gels or aerosols and items like pocketknives in carry-on bags
▶ Read more about the partial government shutdown and air travel
Trump administration urges nations to call for the withdrawal of a UN climate proposal
In guidance issued last week to all U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, the State Department said it “strongly objects” to the proposal being discussed by the U.N. General Assembly and that its adoption “could pose a major threat to U.S. industry.”
The draft resolution sponsored by Vanuatu is being circulated among the 193-member General Assembly and stems from a landmark advisory opinion by the U.N.’s top court last July.
The International Court of Justice said countries could be in violation of international law if they fail to take measures to protect the planet from climate change, and nations harmed by its effects could be entitled to reparations.
The proposal includes adopting a national climate action plan to limit global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius; phasing out subsidies for fossil fuel exploration, production and exploitation; and urging those in violation to “provide full and prompt reparation for damage.”
▶ Read more about the proposal
Senate Democrats send counteroffer as shutdown enters first week
The partial government shutdown began Saturday, with Congress scheduled to be out of Washington until Feb. 23, as Democrats and the White House remain dug in over funding for DHS.
Late Monday, Senate Democrats delivered their latest counteroffer to the White House and Republicans, according to a spokesperson for Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. No additional details were released.
The move follows a White House counterproposal earlier this month that Schumer dismissed as not being serious, offered in response to Democrats’ own 10-point plan outlining their priorities for a funding agreement.
Trump says Board of Peace will unveil $5B in Gaza reconstruction pledges
The pledges will be formally announced when board members gather in Washington on Thursday for their first meeting, he said.
He did not detail which member nations were making the pledges for reconstruction or would contribute personnel to the stabilization force.
Rebuilding the Palestinian territory will be a daunting endeavor. The United Nations, World Bank and European Union estimate that reconstruction of the territory will cost $70 billion. Few places in the Gaza Strip were left unscathed by more than two years of Israeli bombardment.
The ceasefire deal calls for an armed international stabilization force to keep security and ensure disarmament of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel. Thus far, few countries have expressed interest in taking part in the proposed force.
The Oct. 10 U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than 2-year war between Israel and Hamas. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fired on Palestinians near military-held zones.
It is not clear how many of the more than 20 members of the Board of Peace will attend the first meeting.
▶ Read more about the Board of Peace and its upcoming meeting
Iran temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz as it held fresh round of indirect talks with US
It was the first time Iran has announced the closure of the key international waterway, through which 20% of the world’s oil passes, since the U.S. began threatening Iran and rushing military assets to the region. It marks a further escalation in a weekslong standoff that could ignite another war in the Middle East.
As the talks began, Iran’s state media announced that it had fired live missiles toward the Strait and would close it for several hours for “safety and maritime concerns.”
Iranian state TV later said the talks wrapped up after almost three hours.
Iranian state TV reported earlier that negotiations would be indirect and would focus only on Iran’s nuclear program and not domestic policies.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to agree to constrain its nuclear program. Iran has said it would respond with an attack of its own. Trump has also threatened Iran over the killing of protesters.
▶ Read more about the talks between Iran and the US
No clear path to ending the partial government shutdown
The partial shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and the White House failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund DHS through September.
Congress is on recess until Feb. 23, and both sides appear dug into their positions. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Democrats want changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers last month. They also want to require immigration agents to wear body cameras and mandate judicial warrants for arrests on private property.
White House border czar Tom Homan said the administration was unwilling to agree to Democrats’ demands that federal officers clearly identify themselves, remove masks during operations and display unique ID numbers.
The work at ICE and CBP goes on unabated because Trump’s tax and spending cut law from 2025 provided billions more to those agencies that can be tapped for deportation operations.
▶ Read more about what’s happening with the shutdown
Trump says the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday, ‘will be missed’
Trump remembered Jackson in a social media post, calling him a “good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts.’”
The Republican president also described Jackson as “very gregarious -Someone who truly loved people!”
“He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed! Trump wrote.
What is the impact on workers?
It’s up to each federal agency to designate which of its employees are “essential” or “excepted,” both of which mean the same thing in this case. They keep working during a shutdown, typically without being paid until government funding is restored.
Some examples of “essential” employees are military personnel, airport security screeners and law enforcement officers. There can be a wide range, from positions deemed critical for public safety to those authorized by law to continue even without new funding.
Most of the more than 270,000 people employed by DHS are deemed essential, meaning that they stay on the job even during a shutdown. For the fall 2025 shutdown, more than 258,000 DHS employees were in that category, and about 22,000 — or 5% of the agency’s total employee base — were furloughed.
What agencies are impacted?
Other agencies affected are the Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The vast majority of employees at the Secret Service and U.S. Coast Guard will continue their work, though they could miss a paycheck depending on the shutdown’s length.
At FEMA, the shutdown will disrupt the agency’s ability to reimburse states for disaster relief costs. Some workers will be furloughed, limiting the agency’s ability to coordinate with state and local partners. Training for first responders at the National Disaster and Emergency Management University in Maryland will be disrupted.
Why is a Homeland Security shutdown happening?
Essentially, it’s because Trump acquiesced to Democrats’ request that Homeland Security funding be stripped from a broader spending package to allow more time for negotiation over demands for changes to immigration enforcement, such as a code of conduct for federal agents and a requirement that officers show identification. DHS was temporarily funded only through Friday.
The rest of the federal government is funded through Sept. 30. That means most federal programs are unaffected by the latest shutdown, including food assistance, and pay for most federal workers and for service members will continue uninterrupted.