PANews reported on February 1st that, according to Jinshi News, on January 31st, House Democratic Leader Hakim Jeffries stated that they would not help Republicans pass a federal government funding bill through a fast-track process. US media pointed out that Jeffries' statement suggests the US government shutdown may last longer than expected. The US Senate passed a funding bill for several federal departments for the remainder of the fiscal year on January 30th, and the bill will be sent to the House for consideration. However, the House is currently in recess and may vote on the funding bill as early as February 2nd. It is reported that the operating funds for several federal departments, including the State Department and the Pentagon, were exhausted on January 30th, thus the US federal government entered a partial shutdown starting at midnight on January 31st.