Democrats are calling for funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and the Border Patrol, to be removed from the funding bill.
Threats of government shutdown increase after Minneapolis shooting
Congress is grappling with a partial government shutdown after complicated funding agreements in the wake of the shooting of Alex Preti in Minneapolis.
Lawmakers appear to be close to a deal backed by President Donald Trump to avoid a lengthy government shutdown, but key officials say a short shutdown may be inevitable as funding expires on Friday.
President Trump and Senate Democrats unveiled a compromise government spending bill on Thursday, January 29, that reflects Democratic concerns about immigration enforcement.
The plan would extend spending for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Security, for just two weeks while lawmakers negotiate ICE reform, and extend funding for other government agencies through September.
If Mr. Trump backs the deal, he could gain support from Republicans in Congress. President Trump encouraged lawmakers to “vote a much-needed bipartisan ‘yes’ vote” on the bill, writing in a social media post that “the only thing that will slow our country down is another long and harmful government shutdown.”
However, the Senate has not yet voted on the bill, and a Republican Senate aide said the agreement is not final. The Senate floor will reconvene at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, January 30, according to the Senate Press Gallery. If the bill passes the Senate, it will need to return to the House for a vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told USA TODAY on Jan. 29 that at least a short shutdown is likely as it takes time for House members to return to the Capitol to vote on funding measures. Mr Johnson said the “earliest” moment for a vote in the House of Commons was likely to be on Monday.
“Therefore, it may be inevitable that we will be in a situation of closure for a short period of time,” Prime Minister Johnson said at a screening of the documentary film “Melania,” about first lady Melania Trump, at the Kennedy Center. “But the House is going to do its job. Like the president, we want to get funding from the government. So we respect everything that could be negotiated in the House and we’ll deal with it.”
The House passed a government funding package earlier this month, but the debate over DHS funding has intensified since intensive care nurse Alex Preti was shot and killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on January 24. Preti’s death, and the shooting death of Renee Good before her, have sparked intense backlash against President Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts. Democrats are calling for body cameras for immigration officials and the removal of masks, among other reforms.
Senate to resume deliberations on spending bill
The Senate will reconvene Friday at 11 a.m. ET to debate the spending bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune was scheduled to make brief remarks before lawmakers continued debate.
A final deal has not yet been finalized, as the timing of the vote remains in flux and potential amendments continue to be discussed, a senior Republican leadership aide said.
The bill that passes the Senate must also pass the House, where it will be published this week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Thursday night that the earliest the House could act is Monday, February 2, and that even if the Senate bill passes the House, the government would “inevitably” go into a brief shutdown.
−francesca chambers
Jeffries to speak at the Capitol
Although the House is in recess, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) will address reporters at the Capitol at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
Any agreement passed by the Senate must also be approved by the House of Representatives.
−francesca chambers
President Trump has made clear in social media posts that he wants to avoid a government shutdown that could have political consequences ahead of the midterm elections.
“We are working hard with Congress to fully fund the government without delay,” Trump said in the post.
To avoid a government shutdown, Trump was willing to compromise on funding for the department that oversees immigration enforcement efforts, another example of Trump backtracking on his confrontational stance on immigration after the Minneapolis riots. Since Preti’s death, Trump has taken a more conciliatory approach.
If lawmakers fail to pass a spending measure, the partial shutdown will begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 31.
The government shut down for a record 43 days last year amid a dispute over extending health insurance subsidies.
For weeks, Congress has been working toward a Jan. 30 deadline to pass a spending bill to keep the government running.
The House 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.
The government shutdown could put a damper on tax season, which officially began on Monday, January 26, for some Americans.
The IRS suspended most major functions and furloughed about 50% of its employees in the five days following the October 2025 shutdown.
Automated electronic filing and telephone calls remained available, but other services such as document processing, appeals, and payments were suspended or delayed. During an IRS shutdown due to fund expiration, no refunds will be issued unless there are errors on the electronic application linked to your direct deposit account, the bureau said.
The IRS said the April 15 tax deadline will not change even if there is a government shutdown in 2025. The Trump administration extended the deadline once in 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but it is unclear whether such an extension would be granted again if the government shuts down.
–Mary Walras-Holdridge
