On Dec. 20, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new stopgap spending bill, this time containing $5.7 billion for border security and about $8 billion in disaster aid. The bill's passage comes as the President made clear Thursday he wouldn't sign any spending bill without border wall funding — increasing the likelihood of a partial government shutdown come midnight tonight.

If the U.S. Senate rejects the House's funding proposal, which is likely, Democratic leaders say their next step is to urge House leaders to call up the Senate-passed measure.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to put the amended House measure, H.R. 695 (115), to a vote today, before government funding runs out.

If the government does partially shut down, agencies including EPA and Interior would be affected, while the Energy Department and Army Corps of Engineers wouldn't have to worry. (Congress passed their fiscal 2019 funding levels in September as part of a minibus package.)

In preparation, EPA released a contingency plan laying out how the agency will evaluate more than 800 Superfund sites to decide how to proceed in the case of a shutdown . And in an email set out to staff late Thursday afternoon, EPA Acting Administrator Wheeler also said EPA has "sufficient carryover funds" and will remain open the week of Dec. 24 even if the stop-gap measure in Congress goes nowhere.  (Politico Pro, 12/21/18)

Under the umbrella of the Interior Department, National Park Service sites and wildlife refuges would remain open. But services provided by NPS would likely stop.