At 06:00 local time in Sweden, parts of the US government shut down - again. A budget package intended to keep the federal government open was indeed voted through in the Senate overnight into Saturday, but it did not have time to be taken all the way to the finish line before the deadline.
Before federal operations can return to normal, the budget package must be approved by the House of Representatives - which does not meet until Monday.
The US government is thus entering a new, by all accounts temporary, shutdown.
Democrats had previously threatened to block the budget package unless changes were made to immigration enforcement, including ICE, but they recently reached an agreement with Republicans to avoid a longer shutdown. However, the departments that oversee ICE will have their budgets secured for only two weeks while negotiations continue.
President Donald Trump has stated that he supports the deal.
Last fall, the government was shut down for over 40 days as a result of Democrats and Republicans being unable to agree on the federal budget.
