The prospect of a partial government shutdown that would impact a quarter of government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, continues to hang over Capitol Hill Dec. 20.
As of Defense Daily’s deadline on Thursday, the House had not voted on a short-term spending bill that would keep the government open through Feb. 8, but maintain fiscal year 2018 budget levels through a continuing resolution. The Senate passed the legislation via voice vote late Wednesday night. 
The issue remains the level of funding for President Trump’s wall on the southern border. House Democratic leaders refuse to include the $5 billion that the White House has requested, keeping the funding level at $1.6 billion.
Trump said Thursday that he would refuse to sign a bill that did not include $5 billion for the wall.
About 90 percent of DHS personnel are considered “essential” and would be impacted by a shutdown, a department official said Thursday. The official referred Defense Daily to the department’s “Procedures Relating to a Lapse in Appropriations” document for additional details.