Here's What to Know About Latest Shutdown

The partial government shutdown that kicked off on Saturday is vastly different from the record closure in the fall. That's mostly because the shutdown may not last long, per the AP. The House will try to pass funding legislation quickly when lawmakers return on Monday, and that would end the shutdown. Congress already has passed half this year's funding bills, ensuring that several important federal agencies and programs continue to operate through September.

• Why another shutdown? The government funding process had been going smoothly, with key lawmakers in the House and Senate finding bipartisan agreement. But the shooting deaths this month of two US citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, by federal agents in Minneapolis, changed the dynamic. Democrats were incensed after the killings and demanded that one of the six remaining funding bills, for DHS and its associated agencies, be stripped from the package passed by the House. They said the bill must include changes to immigration enforcement, including a code of conduct for federal agents and a requirement that officers show ID.
• More context: Eager to avoid another shutdown, President Trump's White House struck a deal with Democrats to temporarily fund DHS at current levels for two weeks while the negotiations play out. The Senate passed the five-bill funding package on Friday, but it must pass the House again before becoming law. The House isn't returning until Monday, ensuring funding will lapse for parts of the government, at least temporarily.
• FEMA: The funding lapse affects the Pentagon and agencies such as the Transportation Department and DHS, which includes FEMA. Experts have said that FEMA should have enough money to respond to the massive winter storm still affecting large swaths of the country. The agency would have about $7 billion to $8 billion in a fund for disaster response and recovery efforts and the staff who work on them. An extended shutdown could put more pressure on that fund, especially if FEMA must respond to new disasters. Other FEMA operations, such as the ability to write or renew National Flood Insurance Program policies, would pause.
• DOT: There's now a risk of air travel disruptions, as in last year's 43-day shutdown. One of the spending bills awaiting House passage covers the DOT, which is responsible for the air traffic control system and its workforce. Air traffic controllers would still report for duty, but they'd be doing so without pay until a funding bill is passed.
• Food assistance: Programs like SNAP won't be affected, a major change from the fall shutdown, when many people had to do with little to no assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the final weeks of the government closure. The bill to end that shutdown funded the USDA and the programs that it administers through the remainder of the budget year, which ends Sept. 30. That means full SNAP benefits will continue this time around.

More here.