Marrakech – The US Mission in Morocco has resumed normal operations following President Donald Trump’s signing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, ending a four-day partial government shutdown that began Saturday.
The embassy announced the restoration of full services after Trump signed the $1.2 trillion funding package Tuesday afternoon in the Oval Office. The House approved the legislation earlier with a narrow 217-214 vote, with 21 Republicans and 21 Democrats crossing party lines.
During the shutdown, the US Embassy in Rabat had announced on social media that its website and accounts would not receive regular updates until full operations resumed. The mission stated that only urgent safety and security information would be posted during the appropriations lapse.
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However, essential services continued throughout the crisis. The US Consulate General in Casablanca maintained American citizen services and scheduled visa appointments despite the funding interruption.
The partial shutdown affected multiple federal departments, including Defense, Homeland Security, State, Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
The funding package includes five full-year spending bills and a crucial two-week extension for Department of Homeland Security funding through February 13. This short-term DHS funding indicates ongoing tensions over immigration enforcement policies following fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Democrats are demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, including body cameras for agents, accountability measures, and restrictions on roving patrols. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Democrats will present detailed DHS reform proposals “very shortly.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence that negotiations will succeed within the two-week timeframe. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the timeline “an impossibility,” casting doubt on quick resolution.
The Office of Management and Budget directed all agencies to reopen promptly Tuesday, with furloughed employees returning to duty stations February 4.
This shutdown was significantly shorter than the record 43-day closure that ended November 12, 2025, which became the longest in US history. That previous crisis also suspended regular embassy operations in Morocco while maintaining essential citizen services.
The resolution comes as US visa services in Morocco undergo improvements, with waiting times reduced from ten months to two months and increased consular staffing at the Casablanca facility ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Visa issuance, however, remains frozen for all immigrant visas, after the Trump administration placed Morocco on a list of 75 countries subject to a visa freeze until “the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”
The move was unprecedented in recent history, as the North African country had previously been exempt from such bans.
The US State Department was recently sued over the measure, but there has been no change in the status of the decision.
