US Congress delegation's participation in MSC cancelled due to partial shutdown in USA - Stefanishyna

The American delegation’s participation in the Munich Security Conference (MSC) has been cancelled due to the freezing of funding for the US Department of Homeland Security, Ukrainian Ambassador to the USA Olha Stefanishyna announced.

"Since midnight on February 14, the work of federal agencies in the United States has been partially suspended due to Congress’ failure to pass the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) budget," she wrote on Telegram on Saturday morning.

According to Stefanishyna, it oversees more than 20 agencies, including ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), CBP (Customs and Border Protection), and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency).

Stefanishyna noted that the key consequence of this is the cancellation of the Congressional delegation’s participation in the Munich Security Conference due to regulatory restrictions.

She also stated that the House of Representatives cannot travel on official business until the issue is resolved.

The ambassador added that ICE and CBP are operating as usual, and their funding is already included in US President Donald Trump’s "One, Big, Beautiful Bill" (passed in the summer of 2025).

Stefanishyna added that the Congress will return to work on February 23, but may convene earlier—members have been warned to be ready to vote within eight hours of the Senate’s decision. The president’s annual State of the Union address is scheduled for February 24.