Congress is preparing for a partial government shutdown. How is it different from the last one?  

The shutdown Washington is preparing for this weekend has several key differences from the government funding battle last fall.

That 43-day shutdown became the longest in U.S. history, ending in November 2025. It centered on Democrats’ concerns that legislation to keep the government open did not contain a provision to extend Obamacare subsidies. And before the shutdown was triggered on Oct. 1, it was widely expected due to the known deadline for renewing the expiring Obamacare subsidies.

Unlike last fall’s controversy, the latest looming government shutdown would be only partial and stem from unexpected unrest in Minnesota. And key Senate Democrats who proved critical to ending the last shutdown have announced that they will not aid the Trump administration this time around in backing the