A major winter storm heading toward the northeast is expected to bring several inches of snow, ice and dangerously cold temperatures to Washington, D.C., this weekend — raising the stakes for a partial government shutdown next week due to travel delays.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency for the nation’s capital on Friday morning, which is set to last through the weekend. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning from Saturday night through early Monday morning as it predicts about 12-18 inches of snow to fall as well as layers of ice on top.
Airlines are already issuing warnings to travelers of possible delays and cancellations, which could affect senators attempting to fly back to Washington on Monday to vote on must-pass spending bills to avert a government shutdown.
Senate leaders have not yet given guidance to senators on whether to change their travel plans, and the vote schedule has not been altered as of Friday afternoon. The Senate is scheduled to return Monday evening and remain in session for the entire week.
The biggest item on the agenda is to pass the six-bill spending package that was approved by the House this week, the final tranche of funding legislation to complete the 2026 fiscal year budget. The government is scheduled to enter a partial shutdown after midnight on Jan. 30 if those bills are not passed, meaning the Senate must get the package to President Donald Trump’s desk before then.
Even if the schedule is slightly delayed, sources familiar with Senate scheduling told the Deseret News the chamber will stay in session until the spending bill is passed.
That could require some last-minute convincing from leaders of both parties due to disagreements with some of the bill’s contents.
Some Democrats are upset with the Homeland Security portion, arguing it doesn’t go far enough to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who are conducting raids and deportation arrests throughout the country. The bill does include $20 million that “must be used” to purchase body cameras for ICE and Border Patrol officials while conducting operations, as well as another $2 million to provide de-escalation training for agents who regularly interact with the public.
However, Democratic senators such as Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Tim Kaine of Virginia say they’ll vote against the package.
At least seven Democrats will need to support the bill to overcome the 60-vote threshold to end a filibuster. But that number could change as some Republicans are unhappy with the spending package as well.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is a no on the funding legislation over objections to welfare funding for refugee programs. Other Republicans such as Sen. Rick Scott of Florida could push to strip out earmarks, referring to requests from lawmakers to go toward specific projects or organizations in their home states.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has also pushed to remove any earmark requests from spending packages, although it’s unclear if he will threaten to vote against the entire package to do so.