DHS Heads Toward Shutdown With No Funding Deal in Sight

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said a deal is ‘not close,’ despite extensive negotiations on funding for the agency.

The U.S. Capitol viewed from the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial park in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 9, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Lawmakers won’t return to Capitol Hill on Feb. 13 for legislative business as the federal government faces the imminent prospect of a partial shutdown set to affect funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

With no agreement in sight on funding for the agency, senators departed Washington after casting final votes on Feb. 12 and aren’t set to return until Feb. 23. The DHS is poised to shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.