Congress faces Jan. 30 shutdown deadline for 6 remaining spending bills

Congress must pass six remaining appropriations bills by Jan. 30, 2026, at midnight to avoid a partial government shutdown. The bills fund the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Transportation, State Department, and Treasury. If the bills don't pass, these agencies will shut down starting at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 31.

The House passed the six-bill package in late Jan. 2026, but Senate Democrats are blocking the Homeland Security portion over immigration enforcement concerns. Senate Minority Leader CSChuck Schumer said Democrats won't provide the 60 votes needed to pass the package if DHS funding is included. This creates a procedural impasse because the bills are tied together.

Congress already passed six of 12 annual spending bills through Sep. 2026. The six remaining bills account for 75% of annual federal discretionary spending, meaning a shutdown would affect three-quarters of federal operations. Essential services would continue, but many federal employees would be furloughed without pay.

The current continuing resolution (CR) expires at midnight on Jan. 30, 2026. A CR is a temporary funding measure that keeps the government operating at current spending levels when Congress can't pass full-year appropriations bills by the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year. The CR was passed in Dec. 2025 after the 43-day shutdown ended.

The last government shutdown lasted 43 days, from mid-Nov. 2025 through Dec. 2025. Democrats blocked funding to demand a vote on health insurance subsidies. Eventually, eight Democrats voted with Republicans to reopen the government with a promise of a vote on subsidies. That vote failed in Dec., but the deal included passage of three bipartisan spending packages and the short-term CR through Jan. 30.

If Democrats separate DHS funding from the other five bills, the House would need to return from recess to approve the changes. The House is scheduled to be on recess until Feb. 2. House Speaker Mike Johnson hasn't indicated he'd call members back early, which increases the likelihood of a partial shutdown if Democrats maintain their opposition.

The appropriations process gives Congress the power of the purse over executive branch agencies. The Constitution requires all spending to originate in the House, and both chambers must pass identical bills for the president to sign. When Congress can't agree on full-year bills by Oct. 1, they typically pass CRs to buy time for negotiations.