PANews reported on December 21 that according to Fox News, some government agencies were closed after Congress failed to pass a temporary spending bill to avoid a government shutdown before the deadline and sent it to President Biden's desk. The Senate is currently actively reviewing amendments and voting to submit the bill to Biden. The temporary bill is expected to be passed by the Senate in the next few hours. This partial shutdown of government agencies is only a few days away from Christmas and New Year. However, since the Senate is expected to pass the bill soon, the short-term shutdown will cause minimal interference to government functions.