Senate Reaches Funding Deal, With Shutdown Still Set To Begin At Midnight
The majority of the federal government will shut down at midnight, but the closure is expected to be brief with the House expected to return on Monday to get most of the spending bills to President Donald Trump’s desk.
The Senate passed the government funding package 71-29; however, it will still need to head to the House, which is expected to come back early next week.
The funding debate hinged on separating Homeland Security spending from the rest of the bills following recent tensions in Minnesota over federal immigration enforcement. Funding was approved for the Department of Homeland Security until February 13, but the others will last until Sept. 30, according to CSPAN.
Democrats have a laundry list of requested reforms to ICE and Border Patrol, and that debate is expected to escalate in the coming days as long-term funding for the department will likely hinge on a deal being made on it.
Some Republicans slammed Democrats over the funding fight, as the House had already passed six spending bills on a bipartisan basis last week.
“It is always a tragedy when a human life is ended, but it is inexcusable that Democrats are using such tragedy as a scapegoat to try and force changes to government funding that they know cannot be made before midnight tonight. They are willfully punishing 330 million Americans for a political stunt,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said in a statement. “I am grateful to President Trump for negotiating legislation to avoid a more damaging, long-term Democrat shutdown like we saw this past fall, and I urge House Republicans to pass this bill to reopen the government as soon as possible.”
The fight is just beginning over DHS, as Democrats are calling on a whole host of new regulations on federal immigration authorities including ending masks, changing the types of warrants used and a ban on “roving patrols.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement on Friday that “the Trump administration must set forth an ironclad path that dramatically reforms ICE and other DHS agencies that the American people know have become lawless and heavy-handed.”
“It is in the best interest of the country that this is done before the Congress reconvenes on Monday evening and legislation is brought to the House floor,” he continued.
“My Progressive Caucus colleagues and I have been clear: not another cent to ICE until we stop the chaos and the lawlessness. If this comes to the House, I’m voting no,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) posted to X on Friday afternoon.
This will be the second shutdown in just three months, as the federal government closed for 43 days over the pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidy debate last October.
This is a developing story. Please refresh this page for updates.
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