The White House has ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to begin shutdown procedures as its funding from Congress expires at midnight, Bloomberg reported Friday.
It is the third time in six months that parts of the US government have shut down.
Here’s an explanation of what to expect from a DHS shutdown:
Why is DHS shutting down?
The DHS shutdown will be imposed as lawmakers debate new restrictions on US President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.
The impasse is due to Democrats’ demand that homeland security funding be stripped from a broader spending package to allow more time to negotiate demands for changes to immigration enforcement, the AP reported.
Changes may include a code of conduct for federal agents and a requirement that officers show identification.
With DHS funding set to expire Saturday, Democrats say they won’t help approve more funding until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis during an immigration crackdown last month.
The White House negotiated with Democrats, but by the end of the week the two sides had failed to reach an agreement that would guarantee that funding for the department would be forfeited.
Which agencies will be affected?
Only agencies under the DHS umbrella — such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency — will be affected. Some federal workers could also start missing paychecks.
The vast majority of Secret Service and U.S. Coast Guard employees will continue their jobs, though they could also miss out on pay depending on the length of the shutdown.
Which services will be affected?
According to Bloomberg, the shutdown will affect DHS functions other than immigration and border enforcement. Other safety-sensitive jobs will be considered essential and those employees will report to work without pay.
Services such as airport screening could also suffer if the shutdown drags on for weeks, the Associated Press reported.
About 95 percent of the employees are considered essential personnel of the Transportation Security Administration. They will continue to scan passengers and their luggage at the nation’s commercial airports.
But they will work without pay until the funding shortfall is resolved.
At the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the shutdown will disrupt the agency’s ability to reimburse states for disaster relief costs.
Some workers will be laid off, limiting the agency’s ability to coordinate with state and local partners, and training for first responders at the National Disaster and Emergency Management University in Maryland will be interrupted.
What is important, what is not?
It is up to each federal agency to determine which of its employees are “essential” or “exempt,” which in this case means the same thing.
They continue to work during the shutdown, usually without pay, until government funding is back in place.
Some examples of “essential” employees are military personnel, airport security screening personnel, and police officers.
There can be a wide range, from positions deemed critical to public safety to those that are permitted by law to continue without new funding.
(With input from agencies)