Partial Government Shutdown Begins as Funding Lapses
Washington – A partial government shutdown commenced Saturday at 12 a.m. after Congress failed to pass half a dozen spending bills before the deadline, resulting in funding lapses for numerous federal agencies, according to CBS News. The shutdown occurred despite the Senate's late Friday vote to approve a five-bill package and extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for two weeks.
The Senate's funding package, reached after a bipartisan deal, still requires approval from the House of Representatives, which is not scheduled to return to Washington until Monday, CBS News reported. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries indicated that Democrats would not expedite the passage of the Senate-passed funding measure, suggesting the shutdown could last longer than initially anticipated, according to ABC News. Jeffries confirmed the Democrats' position in an interview Saturday on MSNOW.
The core of the funding dispute revolves around the Trump administration's approach to immigration enforcement, CBS News noted. Democrats and the White House reached an agreement on Thursday, addressing concerns about funding for immigration agencies. The deal involves passing five long-term spending bills while providing a two-week extension for DHS funding to allow further discussions on immigration enforcement reforms, CBS News reported. The Senate voted on the funding deal hours before the Friday deadline after considering several amendments.
In related news, a federal judge in Texas ordered the release of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, asylum seekers who were arrested last week in Minnesota, ABC News reported. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery mandated their release from the immigration detention center at Dilley "as soon as practicable" but no later than Feb. 3, prohibiting any removal or transfer during their detention, according to ABC News.
Meanwhile, a powerful storm threatened the East Coast, which was still recovering from the previous week's winter weather, CBS News reported. Approximately 240 million people were under cold weather advisories and winter storm warnings Saturday, with the system expected to bring strong winds, flooding, and heavy snow. Temperatures plummeted, with a low of minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit recorded in West Virginia, according to Bob Oravec, the lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, CBS News reported. More than 127,000 homes and businesses, primarily in Mississippi and Tennessee, remained without power after last week's storm, according to poweroutage.us, CBS News noted.
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