A test vote in the Senate on Thursday to avert a partial government shutdown failed, signaling that Democrats, Republicans and the White House remain at odds amid negotiations over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. large spending packages It must pass by the end of Friday.
Just last week, six bills appeared ready to pass Congress. But killing someone Second Minnesotan by federal agents There is chaos on Capitol Hill as Senate Democrats craft DHS reforms while demanding that the DHS spending bill be removed from the broader package.
According to a person familiar with the talks, no agreement had been reached as of that morning. However, talks between the two parties are accelerating. Republican senators have expressed openness in recent days to passing short-term funding for DHS, while lawmakers have offered compromises. Democrats want to keep the funding extension as short as possible, perhaps just a few weeks.
Alex Preti’s death was the second fatal shooting this month by federal agents in the Twin Cities, brought in as part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration efforts. On January 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents killed 37-year-old poet Renee Nicole Good during a protest.
The waiting game began after Thursday’s Senate vote failed.
It’s unclear how long it will take Democrats to finalize a deal with the White House. But the main questions appear to center on exactly how long the short-term funding measures for DHS will last.
“I’ve been talking to administration officials,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, adding that he hoped “the better angels will prevail.”
A partial shutdown is likely regardless of whether a Senate deal is reached soon. That’s because the House will almost certainly have to reconsider and approve it.
Fifty-five senators, including all Democrats and seven Republicans, voted against moving forward with the funding plan.
While Democratic concerns were uniformly about ICE and DHS, the Republican vote against the bill was made up of conservatives angered by what they saw as wasteful spending in the six spending bills.
President Donald Trump said he believes the White House and members of Congress are “close” to a deal to avoid a shutdown.
“I hope it doesn’t close,” President Trump said during a cabinet meeting with his secretaries. “We’re working on it right now. I think we’re pretty close. I don’t think Democrats want that either. So we’re going to work on it in a very bipartisan way.”
– Joey Garrison
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) told reporters that talks between Senate Democrats and the White House are “moving in the right direction” but “we’re not there yet.”
“I think it’s still a gradual process at this point,” he said.
When will the government shutdown begin?
If lawmakers cannot reach an agreement by the end of this week, the government will undergo a partial shutdown starting at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31st.
It’s been less than three months since the government reopened after a record 43-day complete shutdown last fall.
Why is the government nearing a shutdown?
For weeks, Congress has been working toward a Jan. 30 deadline to pass a spending bill to keep the government running.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on January 22 to send the spending package to the Senate. But Democratic frustrations over DHS funding simmered for weeks in the wake of Goode’s death. Republicans largely supported the DHS funding bill with support from seven Democrats.
But Mr. Preti’s killing has tilted the position of Senate Democrats. Senate Democrats are currently refusing to provide further funding to the agency, which oversees federal immigration enforcement and has played a leading role in President Trump’s aggressive immigration strategy.
There had already been an 11-hour scramble in Congress to pass the final spending bill within a week of the Jan. 30 deadline. Even before news of Mr. Preti’s death broke, weather-related disruptions were straining the schedule, with the Senate vote on Monday, Jan. 26, canceled due to a winter storm.
What do Senate Democrats want?
Senate Democrats on Wednesday, January 28, outlined three major demands for DHS reform, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
They are calling for greater accountability for ICE and the Border Patrol, including independent investigations and stricter standards for the use of force. Senate Democrats also want to end intensive immigration checks known as “patrol patrols” and require officers to operate without masks and with body cameras on.
Schumer and the president reportedly held talks on Wednesday night, January 28, to reach an agreement to avert a government shutdown, according to reports in the New York Times and Politico.
The remaining five bills are in jeopardy due to conflicts between the two parties. They fund critical government agencies, from the Department of Defense to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.
