Senate Democrats and Republicans came to an agreement Jan. 29 to move five spending bills forward after a six-bill government funding package failed to reach the 60-vote threshold for passage.
Here are eight things to know about the spending bill, the possibility of a shutdown and what comes next:
1. The revised package includes funding through Sept. 30 for five agencies — including HHS — and a two-week stopgap for the Department of Homeland Security. The Senate is expected to vote on the new deal Jan. 30, but any final agreement would still need House approval.
2. To avoid a partial government shutdown, the House would need to pass the package as is, or return an amended version for another Senate vote before the Jan. 30 midnight deadline. The House is not scheduled to return until Feb. 2, meaning a brief shutdown beginning early Jan. 31 appears likely. A lapse in funding would take effect Jan. 31 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time, disrupting operations at HHS and other federal agencies.
3. The original six-bill package failed in a 55-45 vote, with eight Republicans joining Democrats in voting no. The impasse was related to a bill that included Department of Homeland Security funding. Senate Democrats refused to move DHS funding forward without reforms to immigration enforcement operations, NBC News reported Jan. 29. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the DHS funding bill needed to be separated from the broader package and voted on separately.
4. The House initially passed the six-bill package Jan. 22. At the time, the bills were largely expected to pass in the Senate. However, after Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old registered nurse, was shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, Democrats said they would not support DHS funding without broad reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
5. On Jan. 26, an open letter from CEOs at more than 60 Minnesota-based companies, including health systems such as Rochester-based Mayo Clinic, Minneapolis-based Allina Health and Bloomington-based HealthPartners, called for immediate deescalation following Mr. Pretti’s death.
6. Hospital-at-home programs will be at risk of complications for the second time in the last six months as Congress faces another potential shutdown. Even if an agreement is reached this week, disruptions to hospital-at-home programs are unavoidable, as hospitals have already begun winding down operations to stay in compliance with federal rules.
7. Mandatory programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, healthcare fraud investigations and constitutional duties like budget preparation would remain active during a shutdown. HHS would also maintain key activities, including disease outbreak monitoring through the CDC, pandemic and emergency response through the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, research and clinical activities through the National Institutes of Health, and drug and medical device reviews through the Food and Drug Administration.
8. HHS’ fiscal 2026 contingency plan indicates that 32,460 employees, or 41% of staff, would be furloughed in the event of a total government shutdown.
