A SECOND GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

At 12:01 a.m. ET on Saturday, February 14, 2026, a partial government shutdown began affecting the Department of Homeland Security. Before adjourning for a scheduled one-week recess on Thursday, February 12, Congress failed to reach a funding agreement, leaving DHS operating with essential staff. The House is on 48-hour notice and the Senate on 24-hour notice to return if a deal is reached, but for now, Washington is out of town with the job unfinished.

This is the third shutdown in a matter of months and the second occurring weeks within each other, but this one stems from two tragic and deeply troubling incidents. On January 7, Renee Good was shot and killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, prompting a bipartisan push for accountability measures, including $20 million in funding to require immigration agents to wear body cameras. Then on January 24, Alex Pretti was killed by federal immigration officers, a second death that shattered any remaining bipartisan goodwill and triggered a four-day partial shutdown as lawmakers demanded stronger guardrails on federal enforcement tactics. The funding patch that followed was always temporary, set to expire at midnight Friday. With no deal reached, the shutdown is now back on.

Proposals from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries include requirements that federal officers not wear masks and that they identify themselves when conducting operations. "When federal agents operate in our streets without identification, without warrants, and without accountability, that trust is shattered," wrote the Democratic mayors of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Portland in a letter to Congressional Republican leaders Friday, urging them to accept the proposals before the shutdown took effect. 

The Trump administration's response was deemed "incomplete and insufficient," and the shutdown began as scheduled.

Out of DHS's 271,000 employees, approximately 20,000 are expected to be furloughed. This is a reflection that Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress and have the power to resolve this if they choose to. The demand for transparency in federal law enforcement and protection of healthcare access are not partisan positions, they are matters of public safety and basic civil rights. We will continue to monitor this situation and keep you informed.