Did you know there was a government shutdown for two days in February?
If you missed it, that’s understandable. It was over by Tuesday, February 3, 2026, when President Donald Trump signed an appropriations package that included funding for almost all federal agencies not funded in December, when the previous 43-day shutdown ended.
But congressional leaders included a carve-out for the Department of Homeland Security, which only received an extension of funding at existing levels for two more weeks. Beyond that, the department’s fiscal status is uncertain.
Funding for DHS erupted into a congressional standoff following the death of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the hands of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers that is currently under investigation. Democrats are demanding a 10-point list of reforms to the agency’s operations, including better coordination with state and local law enforcement, use of warrants, no more racial profiling and no masks for ICE officers.
“We aren’t anywhere close to having any sort of an agreement,” said Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the Senate majority leader.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) proposed another stopgap compromise, with Congress funding several activities within DHS including airport security and disaster relief, while still leaving the ICE negotiations unresolved. However, Thune has disagreed with this approach, seeming to prefer a showdown with Democrats.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Transportation Security Administration are part of DHS and will also run out of funding by Feb. 14 unless Congress can agree to a deal. This could result in disruptions to air travel similar to those seen a few months ago, and emergency relief efforts in states affected by recent ice storms may have to draw down.
Apart from these effects, impacts to IEC members will most likely be minimal. But it remains hard to tell where the negotiations will lead and whether or not another extended government impasse may result.
The fight brewing in Congress may also sour the bipartisan mood that gave rise to recent efforts to enact federal permitting reform, like the SPEED Act that passed the House in December.
IEC will continue to monitor the possible shutdown and keep members informed of any developments to affected DHS programs.