Kathmandu. The possibility of a partial shutdown of the federal government has increased after the U.S. Senate blocked a crucial vote on government spending. The shutdown is expected to begin at midnight on Saturday as the White House and Senate Democrats are at loggerheads over President Donald Trump’s tough immigration policies.

The failed vote has put a stalled spending package, which will cover more than three-quarters of the federal government’s expenses. The revised package will have to be voted on again by the House of Representatives, but the House of Representatives will be on recess until Monday.

This will be the second government shutdown since Trump took office. However, this time it is expected to be shorter than the 43-day long bandh last time.

Democrats have been demanding a separate funding for the Interior Department and tougher conditions on the functioning of ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer called ICE’s actions a state-sanctioned fraud and said Congress had a “moral obligation” to stop it.

Schumer later said the White House had agreed to a tentative format, but US media said the vote had been delayed until Friday. Trump took to social media to rally bipartisan support and urged people to support the deal.

If the shutdown is extended, millions of federal employees could be furloughed or forced to work without pay, with repercussions extending beyond Washington.

The controversy has been exacerbated by recent incidents of violence linked to immigration enforcement. A congressional debate has intensified after a nurse overseeing the Trump administration’s deportation operation was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Democrats have said they are ready to pass spending bills, including defense, health, education and transportation, immediately. But they are calling for a rewrite of the DHS bill to tighten ICE’s patrols, warrant procedures, use of force rules, body cameras and identification.

The White House’s proposal only gives the Department of Homeland Security two weeks to avert the shutdown. Lawmakers have warned that disruptions to DHS funding could affect agencies such as the Emergency Management Agency, especially as a harsh winter sweeps across the country.