The United States Embassy in Turkey said Saturday that its social media accounts will not be updated regularly during a US government shutdown, except for urgent safety and security information.
The embassy said the change was due to a funding lapse after Congress failed to enact a new funding law before a deadline, triggering a partial shutdown early Saturday.
Scheduled passport and visa services in the United States and at US embassies and consulates overseas will continue during the funding lapse, as conditions permit, the embassy said, directing the public to the US Department of State’s travel website for updates.
The State Department’s public guidance says consular operations in the United States and abroad remain operational during a lapse in government funding, including passports, visas and assistance to Americans overseas, though some domestic support functions are suspended.
The shutdown grew out of a dispute over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, after Senate Democrats pushed to separate it from a broader government funding package and demand limits on immigration enforcement tactics following fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis.
The Senate then advanced a spending deal to fund most federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year but only extended Homeland Security funding for about two weeks to allow further negotiations. Because the House of Representatives is out until Monday, the funding deadline passed, triggering a partial shutdown.