What services are affected by the Department of Homeland Security closure? What you need to know

Another shutdown of parts of the federal government is expected this weekend as lawmakers debate new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is scheduled to expire on Saturday. Democrats say they won’t help approve more funding until new restrictions on federal immigration operations are in place following the fatal shootings of Alex Peretti and Renee Judd in Minneapolis last month.

He watches: TSA and FEMA leaders are testifying about the potential impacts of the government shutdown

The White House had been negotiating with Democrats, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement by the end of the week, ensuring the department’s funding would end.

Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures will be narrowly limited, with only agencies under the DHS umbrella — such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection — being affected. However, depending on how long the shutdown lasts, some federal employees may begin to lose pay, and services such as airport screening may be affected if the shutdown continues for weeks.

Why is the DHS shutdown happening?

Mainly because Trump agreed to Democrats’ request to strip Homeland Security funding from a broader spending package to allow more time to negotiate demands for changes to immigration enforcement, such as a code of conduct for federal agents and requiring officers to show identification. DHS is only temporarily funded through February 13.

He watches: Schumer is speaking after Democrats voted against a DHS funding bill, making a shutdown likely

The rest of the federal government is funded through September 30. This means that most federal programs will not be affected by the latest shutdown, including food aid, and most federal workers and service members will continue to be paid without interruption.

Which agencies are affected?

The funding shortfall is affecting the Department of Homeland Security and its lineup of agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

At the Transportation Security Administration, about 95% of employees are considered essential. They will continue to screen passengers and their bags at the country’s commercial airports. But they will work without pay until the funding problem is resolved.

A TSA official warned in testimony before Congress that employees may begin to report illnesses or unscheduled absences as the shutdown progresses, which could lead to longer wait times for passengers to go through airport security and board their plane. Many TSA workers have already faced financial stress in the past year.

He watches: Minnesota state officials and federal immigration leaders testify before the Senate Homeland Affairs Committee

“Some are now recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown,” said Ha Nguyen McNeil, a senior official performing the duties of TSA administrator. “Many are still suffering from it.”

The vast majority of employees in the Secret Service and U.S. Coast Guard will continue their work, though they may also miss pay depending on the length of the shutdown.

At FEMA, the shutdown will disrupt the agency’s ability to reimburse states for disaster relief costs. Some workers will be furloughed, limiting the agency’s ability to coordinate with state and local partners, and first responder training at the National University of Maryland for Disaster and Emergency Management will be disrupted.

Republicans have indicated that the work of ICE and CBP will continue mostly unabated during the shutdown, despite Democrats calling for changes at those agencies.

That’s because Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill, passed by Republicans last year, provided ICE with about $75 billion and Customs and Border Protection with about $65 billion, money those agencies can continue to tap for Trump’s deportations.

What is the impact on workers?

It is up to each federal agency to determine which of its employees are “essential” or “excepted,” which both mean the same thing in this case. They continue to work during the lockdown, usually without getting paid until government funding is back in place.

Some examples of “essential” employees are military personnel, airport security screening workers, and law enforcement officers. There can be a wide range, from positions deemed critical to public safety to those that the law allows to continue even without new funding.

Most of the more than 270,000 people who work at the Department of Homeland Security are considered essential, meaning they remain at their jobs even during the shutdown. For the fall 2025 shutdown, more than 258,000 DHS employees were in this category, and about 22,000 were furloughed — or 5% of the agency’s total employee base.

Lawmakers were particularly concerned about the potential impact on the Transportation Security Administration and airports.

Senate Republican Leader John Thune warned that “there is a very good chance that we will see more travel issues” similar to last year’s shutdown. As staffing shortages grow, airports may reduce the number of open security lanes or close checkpoints completely to ease pressure on an already stressed workforce.

During last year’s funding outage, unpaid TSA workers increasingly called in sick or stayed home because the loss of pay made it difficult for workers to cover basic expenses. The pressure was palpable on the ground: About a month into the shutdown, the TSA closed two checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport.

“The longer the closure lasts, the greater the impact on our TSA workforce,” the agency said at the time.

Associated Press writers Ryo Yamate and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.