Amid a nationwide investigation into ICE, the Department of Homeland Security funding bill has caused an uproar among Democrats.
President Trump supports Capitol Hill agreement to reverse shutdowns and layoffs
President Donald Trump said he supports an agreement on Capitol Hill to reopen government agencies and reverse layoffs.
WASHINGTON – With one week left to avoid another government shutdown, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on January 22 to send a $1.2 trillion spending package to the Senate.
The spending bill passed despite widespread consternation from Democrats for keeping the lights on at the Department of Homeland Security. Most Democrats recently voted against funding agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in response to the Trump administration’s nationwide immigration enforcement efforts that culminated in the recent killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. Seven Democratic senators supported the DHS bill.
With broad Republican support, the measure remained in the Legislature until House members began returning home for a weeklong vacation.
The remaining spending bills passed with broad bipartisan support. They fund programs for other agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Education. The measure largely rejects many of the cuts promoted by the Trump administration.
Next week, all spending bills are scheduled to be finalized in the Senate, where Democrats will have to decide whether to fund DHS year-round without the many guardrails they have sought, or risk another partial shutdown after last fall’s record crisis. A major snowstorm expected to hit Washington, D.C., over the weekend could also push senators to the brink of a shutdown deadline.
In a stark sign of the political divisiveness of President Trump’s immigration policies, even Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Connecticut Democrat who negotiated the DHS funding bill, voted against it following uproar within her party.
“We cannot ignore the impact that ICE’s actions had in getting this bill completed,” he said on the House floor on January 22. “This is a rigged agency, and we have to impose significant constraints on it. During negotiations, we proposed such constraints, but our Republican colleagues refused to include almost all of them.”
This bill would impose several new restrictions on DHS. The reins include increased de-escalation training for ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers and oversight of detention facilities. The bill would also limit how DHS spends funds and require DHS to periodically report to Congress on certain spending plans.
Before the vote, Republican lawmakers praised other aspects of the bill, including pay raises for Coast Guard employees.
“This bill will ensure that the Department of Homeland Security employees who work tirelessly to keep America safe have the resources and tools they need to protect this great nation,” said Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nevada) on the House floor.
The deadline to avoid a government shutdown is January 30th.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
