Thursday, February 5th–9:00am

President Donald Trump has officially signed off on the funding package passed by the House Tuesday evening, ending the four-day government shutdown. Congress now has until Feb. 13 to negotiate a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, and if no deal is reached, another partial shutdown could result. For the latest updates on federal activity, sign up for our DC Digest, which is sent on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Tuesday, February 3rd–3:00pm

The federal government’s partial shutdown is close to ending after the House voted 217-214 on bipartisan lines to advance a funding package this afternoon. The measure funds most of the federal government through Sept. 30, while providing the Department of Homeland Security with short-term funding for two weeks. The House Rules Committee advanced the package yesterday upon its return from recess. Now, the bill heads to President Donald Trump’s desk, where he is expected to sign and officially end the partial shutdown. Congress has until Feb. 13 to reach a deal on funds for DHS.

Monday, February 2nd–1:00pm

The House returns to Washington today to take up a revised funding package aimed at ending the partial government shutdown that began at midnight Friday. Lawmakers will consider a five‑bill package passed by the Senate on Friday that would fund the Departments of Defense, State, Treasury, and several others, along with a two‑week extension of funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS remains the central sticking point as Democrats push for reforms to immigration enforcement practices at agencies such as ICE.

The two‑week DHS stopgap was a key Democratic demand, giving both parties until Feb. 13 to negotiate changes to immigration enforcement.

The House Rules Committee meets at 4:00pm Monday to begin moving the legislation to the floor, with final votes expected Tuesday.

Currently, the shutdown impacts nine federal departments, including those on the list in our previous update.

Friday, January 30th–3:30pm

The Duke Office of Government Relations (OGR) and Duke Health Government Relations are closely monitoring budget negotiations in Washington to assess the implications of a possible partial federal government shutdown for Duke and its activities. If such a shutdown occurs, it will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
 
To date, six of the twelve annual appropriations bills have been signed into law, and federal agencies funded through those bills would operate under normal circumstances should a shutdown occur. The agencies without a final appropriation for FY 26 that a partial shutdown could impact include:

  • Department of Education
  • Department of Health and Human Services
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Department of State
  • Department of Transportation
  • Department of Defense

The OGR is closely coordinating with several key offices, including the Offices for Research and Innovation and Finance, to provide updates to the Duke community and to outline contingencies in place should a shutdown occur. We will continue to monitor developments and communications from the federal agencies. Still, it is possible that official guidance will not be available until after the shutdown begins. As information becomes available, it will be accessible through Duke Today, the Office of Government Relations blog, and the live updates page of myRESEARCHpath. The current expectation is that any partial shutdown would be short-term. Duke Health Government Relations will inform health system leadership about the implications of a shutdown for patients, clinical trials, hospital operations, and medical and nursing education. As with previous shutdowns, we anticipate that Social Security and Medicare checks, as well as Medicare payments to hospitals, physicians, and other providers, will continue to be distributed. However, there is a patchwork of temporary statutory waivers for telehealth services under Medicare that, unless further action is taken, will expire on January 30. Duke Health Government Relations continues to advocate for the extension of telehealth waivers and any retroactive payments that may be due. 

Below are some additional resources that will be helpful if a shutdown occurs:

From Duke University on Research Projects:

https://myresearchpath.duke.edu/impact-federal-government-shutdown-academic-research

From the American Immigration Lawyers Association:

https://www.aila.org/advo-media/aila-practice-pointers-and-alerts/government-shuts-down

OGR and Duke Health GR will continue to monitor the situation and update the Duke community as further information becomes available.