TechFlow News, February 10: According to JINSHI Data, the U.S. federal government experienced a 43-day shutdown last fall—and just one week ago, another brief four-day shutdown occurred. Now, yet another shutdown appears imminent.
This latest shutdown looks highly likely, as Democrats and Republicans in Washington remain divided over potential reforms to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices.
The shutdown that ran from January 31 to February 3 ended thanks to a bipartisan spending bill that provided only two weeks of funding for the agency overseeing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while negotiations on broader reforms continue. This stopgap funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expires this Friday—meaning DHS will face a funding gap starting Saturday at midnight local time.
As no breakthrough has been reached in negotiations, Washington is preparing for another shutdown—though this one would be limited in scope, affecting only the Department of Homeland Security. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, who is among those anticipating a limited shutdown, is known for occasionally aligning with President Trump and other Republicans. He noted that his party proposed a 10-point plan—but it received little traction.
“I absolutely expect a government shutdown. I know we—Democrats—offered roughly ten basic proposals, and Republicans swiftly rejected them, calling it a ‘Christmas wish list’—completely unrealistic,” Senator Fetterman said in a Fox News interview last Sunday.
The prediction market Kalshi estimates a 65% chance of a U.S. government shutdown this weekend, while Polymarket puts the probability at 74%.
