What to Know from the Capital This Weekend: DHS Shutdown, Congressional Standoff, and Federal Power
February 13-16, 2026 — From diplomatic breakthroughs to military buildups, your weekend world briefing
Weekend Briefing from Washington
February 13-16, 2026
As Congress flees town for a 10-day recess, the Department of Homeland Security slides into its third shutdown in five months. Behind the parliamentary maneuvering and partisan finger-pointing lies a fundamental question: Can federal law enforcement operate without Congressional oversight? Here’s what’s happening in the capital this weekend.
DHS SHUTDOWN: The Third Time in Five Months
The Department of Homeland Security shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after Senate Democrats blocked two Republican attempts to keep it funded—first a full-year bill, then a two-week stopgap extension.
How we got here:
On January 26, federal immigration agents shot and killed two American citizens—Alex Pretti and Renee Good—during enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Both were bystanders with no immigration violations. The shootings sparked nationwide outrage and put Democratic leadership in a position they haven’t occupied in years: genuine leverage.
Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer and Chris Murphy, refused to fund DHS without restrictions on immigration enforcement. House Democrats, led by Hakeem Jeffries, backed them. The resulting standoff left DHS as the only federal department without full-year funding when Congress passed a spending package on February 3.
That package included a two-week continuing resolution for DHS, funded through February 13, explicitly to allow time for negotiations on immigration enforcement reforms.
Those negotiations collapsed Thursday. Congress left town. The shutdown began.
What Democrats demanded:
In a February 5 letter to Republican leadership, Schumer and Jeffries outlined ten “guardrails” for DHS operations:
1. End “roving patrols” and “indiscriminate arrests”
2. Require judicial warrants (not just administrative warrants) for arrests and property searches
3. Ban DHS officers from entering private property without judicial authorization
4. Prohibit enforcement at “sensitive locations” (schools, churches, hospitals)
5. Mandate body-worn cameras for all enforcement officers
6. Ban agents from wearing masks during operations
7. Require agents to identify themselves and their agency
8. Adopt a standardized, universal use-of-force policy
9. Expand training requirements for all DHS law enforcement
10. Remove DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from her position
Democrats also demanded Trump “fully ramp down the surge in Minnesota” as a show of good faith.
What the White House offered:
Not much. The administration has agreed to deploy body cameras (already underway) and sent Border Czar Tom Homan to replace the Minneapolis Border Patrol commander.
On the core issues—judicial warrants, restricting roving patrols, prohibiting masked enforcement—the White House has refused to budge. A senior administration official called judicial warrant requirements “a particularly challenging aspect” that would fundamentally hamstring enforcement operations.
Trump told reporters Thursday that some Democratic demands would be “very, very hard to approve.”
The standoff:
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) characterized negotiations as “not close” but insisted “a deal space is there.” Senate Democrats countered that they “had plenty of time to get a deal in the last two weeks.”
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), who chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, blocked the two-week stopgap after the full-year bill failed, saying: “We want to fund the Department of Homeland Security, but only a department that is obeying the law.”
Congress is now on recess until February 23—meaning the shutdown will last at least 10 days.
WHAT THE SHUTDOWN ACTUALLY MEANS
The paradox: This is a shutdown that barely shuts anything down—but could have devastating long-term consequences.
Immigration enforcement (ICE/CBP): Fully operational, fully funded
Thanks to Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed last summer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement received $75 billion and Customs and Border Protection got $64 billion in dedicated funding outside the normal appropriations process.
ICE and CBP officers will continue working, continue getting paid, and continue conducting enforcement operations exactly as they have been. The shutdown does not affect immigration operations at all.
As House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) put it bluntly: “The things they want to shut down aren’t going to shut down.”
The agencies that DO get hit:
Transportation Security Administration (TSA):
∙ 60,000+ screeners deemed “essential” and required to work without pay
∙ Won’t miss first paycheck until early March, but unscheduled absences historically spike during shutdowns
∙ TSA Administrator Ha McNeill testified that the 43-day shutdown last fall caused “late fees from missed bill payments, eviction notices, loss of child care” for agents
∙ Twelve weeks later, “some are just recovering from the financial impact”
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):
∙ Has sufficient disaster relief funds for immediate emergencies
∙ But Associate Administrator Gregg Phillips warned response would become “seriously strained in the event of a catastrophic disaster”
∙ Recovery-related work and long-term planning will be “crippled”
∙ Still working through delayed payments to states from the 43-day shutdown last fall
U.S. Coast Guard:
∙ 56,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel working without pay
∙ All missions unrelated to “national security or the protection of life and property” suspended
∙ Training for pilots, air crews, boat crews curtailed
∙ Aircraft and boats degrading as scheduled maintenance deferred
∙ Vice Commandant Adm. Thomas Allan: “These jobs require dedication, focus and attention to detail. Any distraction puts the member mission, crew and unit at risk.”
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA):
∙ Two-thirds of workforce furloughed (unusual—most DHS employees stay on the job)
∙ Diminished capability in cyber response, security assessments, stakeholder engagement
∙ Training exercises and special event planning halted
Secret Service:
∙ Essential operations continue but without pay initially
∙ May tap into funding from last summer’s bill (as they did during the 43-day shutdown)
By the numbers:
∙ 272,000 total DHS employees
∙ 90%+ will continue working during the shutdown
∙ Only ~44,500 will be paid through alternative appropriations
∙ 22,862 non-ICE/CBP workers could be furloughed
THE POLITICS: Who’s Playing What Game
Democrats’ calculation:
This is the strongest leverage Democrats have had against the Trump administration on any issue. They’re using it.
The Minneapolis shootings gave them a politically defensible position: “We’re not obstructing border security, we’re demanding accountability for law enforcement that killed American citizens.”
But there’s a trap: If the shutdown drags on and TSA lines get longer, or if a major disaster hits and FEMA response is hampered, Republicans will blame Democrats for “defunding border security” and “putting Coast Guard families in financial distress.”
Democrats are betting public outrage over the Minneapolis killings outweighs shutdown backlash. It’s not clear they’re right.
Republicans’ calculation:
Republicans have the easier message: “Democrats are shutting down the government to handcuff ICE.”
But some GOP senators—Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC)—are amenable to reforms, particularly on body cameras and use-of-force standards. That creates potential for a bipartisan deal.
The problem: Trump and hardliners like Ted Cruz (R-TX) won’t accept restrictions they view as undermining enforcement. As long as ICE and CBP stay funded and operational, they have no incentive to compromise.
The White House calculation:
The administration’s position is clear: We’ll negotiate on cosmetics (body cameras, training), but nothing that restricts operational authority.
DHS Secretary Noem has “wide-ranging power to move money around” under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The administration has $165 billion in DHS funding from that legislation to draw on.
From Trump’s perspective, this shutdown is nearly consequence-free for his priorities while Democrats take political heat for furloughing Coast Guard members and TSA agents.
OTHER CAPITAL DEVELOPMENTS THIS WEEK
Budget deficit balloons $1.4 trillion over decade:
The Congressional Budget Office released projections Wednesday showing Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and other policy changes are driving cumulative deficits from 2026-2035 to $23.1 trillion—up 6% ($1.4 trillion) from January 2025 projections.
The nonpartisan CBO analysis undercuts Republican claims that tax cuts and spending would be deficit-neutral.
Clinton contempt resolutions advance:
The House Rules Committee met Monday to advance contempt of Congress resolutions against former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the House Oversight Committee.
The resolutions are expected to reach the House floor next week, though their practical effect is unclear—Congress has no enforcement mechanism beyond referring contempt to the Justice Department, which under Trump appointees might or might not pursue charges.
TrumpRx drug platform launches:
The White House officially launched TrumpRx on Thursday—the administration’s direct-to-consumer prescription drug platform connecting patients with drugmakers selling products at discounted cash prices outside insurance.
Blockbuster obesity drugs Zepbound and Wegovy are available through the platform. Trump called it “one of the most transformative health care initiatives of all time.”
Critics note the platform primarily benefits people who can afford to pay cash upfront and may undermine insurance-based coverage.
SAVE America Act push:
Trump called on congressional Republicans Thursday to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and add voter ID requirements.
It’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. The bill passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate.
Grand jury declines to indict Democratic lawmakers:
A federal grand jury declined Tuesday to indict six Democratic lawmakers—all veterans or former intelligence officials—who released a video in November urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey illegal orders from the Trump administration.
The Justice Department had investigated whether the video constituted incitement. After the grand jury declined charges, Rep. Jason Crow’s (D-CO) attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter warning of potential legal action for civil rights violations if prosecutors continue pursuing the case.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Next 10 Days
Congress returns February 23. Until then, the capital is quiet—but the pressure is building.
Key questions:
1. Will Republicans crack first?
Some GOP senators want a deal. If TSA wait times spike, Coast Guard families face eviction, or—worst case—a major disaster tests FEMA’s degraded capacity, pressure on Republicans to compromise will mount.
2. Will Democrats overplay their hand?
If the shutdown drags into March and public opinion turns against Democrats for affecting non-immigration agencies, their leverage evaporates.
3. Will something break through?
The White House and Democratic leadership continued trading offers through Thursday night. Talks haven’t collapsed—they’ve stalled. Both sides are consulting their caucuses. A deal could materialize over the recess if either side decides the political cost of continued shutdown exceeds the cost of compromise.
4. What’s the Trump calculation?
Does he see this shutdown as politically beneficial—“Democrats defunding security”—or does he want a deal to move on to other priorities? His public statements suggest he’s in no rush, but backroom dynamics could differ.
The Munich factor:
Many lawmakers, including key appropriators, are in Munich this weekend for the Security Conference. Informal conversations there could lay groundwork for a deal when Congress reconvenes.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
This is the third government shutdown in five months. The 43-day shutdown last fall set records. Now we’re back.
Behind the immediate dispute over immigration enforcement lies a deeper constitutional question: What happens when an administration claims essentially unlimited law enforcement authority and Congress tries to impose restrictions through its spending power?
Democrats argue they’re defending Fourth Amendment protections and basic oversight. Republicans argue Democrats are politicizing law enforcement funding.
The truth is both are wielding the only weapons they have: Democrats their appropriations votes, Republicans their Senate majority and White House control.
What’s novel is how little the shutdown affects the policy dispute at its center. ICE and CBP keep operating regardless. The people who pay the price—TSA screeners, Coast Guard members, FEMA workers, cybersecurity analysts—have nothing to do with the Minneapolis shootings or immigration enforcement.
They’re collateral damage in a fight about whether Congress can still impose meaningful constraints on executive power.
For now, the capital is empty. The shutdown clock is running. And nobody’s quite sure who blinks first.
Congress returns February 23. Until then, the standoff continues.
— US Daily Letter