Potential U.S. Government Shutdown Looms Amid Immigration Policy Disputes

The United States is facing the possibility of another government shutdown following a brief four-day closure last week. According to BlockBeats, the likelihood of a shutdown is increasing due to ongoing disagreements between Democrats and Republicans in Washington over potential reforms to U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement policies. The recent shutdown from January 31 to February 3 was resolved through a bipartisan spending plan that temporarily funded the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency for two weeks. This temporary funding is set to expire on Friday, leading to a potential funding gap for the DHS starting early Saturday morning. Negotiations have yet to yield a breakthrough, prompting preparations for another shutdown, although it is expected to be partial, affecting only the DHS. Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket estimate the probability of a shutdown this weekend at 65% and 74%, respectively.