On Friday, the US Senate was racing to strike a deal on a government funding package as a partial shutdown threatened at midnight. The recent deaths of two US citizens in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents disrupted spending negotiations and gave Democrats an unusual advantage regarding Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
The killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both citizens shot in Minneapolis during an increase in immigration enforcement activity, led Senate Democrats to halt the progress of a bill intended to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which manages Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This put at risk a larger legislative plan aimed at funding several government departments through September.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has proposed several reforms for federal agents that he wants included in the DHS funding bill. These reforms include requiring officers to wear body cameras, follow a code of conduct, and stop wearing masks while conducting “roving patrols” targeting individuals they suspect are undocumented immigrants.
“These are not radical demands; they’re basic standards the American people already expect from law enforcement,” Schumer stated on the Senate floor Friday morning. “I hope we can vote quickly here in the Senate today so we can move forward with essential work to rein in ICE.”
Schumer’s office announced Thursday night that an agreement had been made with Republicans to swiftly pass five spending bills with bipartisan support. These would keep departments such as defense, labor, and health and human services funded through September. Funding for DHS would instead be handled with a temporary measure lasting two weeks, allowing time for talks on Democrats’ reform requests regarding immigration enforcement.
However, this package must still get approval from the House of Representatives, which is currently out of session and won’t reconvene until Monday. This means a partial shutdown will likely begin after midnight Friday and extend at least through the weekend.
“The earliest we could take action is Monday, so we could end up facing a short shutdown,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson when speaking to USA Today. “But the House will do its job. We want to ensure government funding just like the president does.”
Although there were expectations for a Senate vote on this agreement Thursday night, Republican Lindsey Graham reportedly stalled it by insisting on removing a clause that would prevent lawmakers from suing if their phone records were seized by the FBI as part of its investigation into Trump’s interference in the 2020 election.
A representative for Graham did not respond when asked for comments.
If this agreement holds true, it represents a chance for Democrats to impose limits on Trump’s mass deportation policies that started right after he took office last year and have seen masked federal agents spread out across major cities nationwide.
This has resulted in hundreds of thousands being arrested or deported but also includes incidents involving killings by ICE agents, detaining US citizens, and complaints from local leaders along with advocacy groups about aggressive tactics used by officers that violate rights.
“We’ll need to assess what real chances exist for significant change at DHS. It must be bold, meaningful, and transformative,” said Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday.
However, it’s too late now to avoid some federal departments closing or reducing services over this weekend or possibly even into Monday when normal business resumes amid shutdown conditions.
If this spending deal passes through the Senate successfully, how it will be received by the Republican-led House remains uncertain. The chamber had previously passed both the DHS bill and five other spending bills last week with seven Democrats joining GOP members despite calls to delay due to Good’s death.
Nonetheless, some conservative lawmakers insist that if these measures return for another vote in their chamber they should come alongside legislation favored by conservatives such as the Save Act-aiming to enforce identification requirements for voting which critics argue could disenfranchise many Americans.
“EVERY SINGLE APPROPRIATIONS BILL THAT IS VOTED OUT OF THE HOUSE MUST HAVE THE SAVE ACT ATTACHED,” Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna asserted on Friday.
Their resistance may complicate getting these spending measures approved since Republicans hold 218 seats compared to 213 held by Democrats. Jeffries cautioned that if their internal conflicts stall passage of these bills then Republicans will bear responsibility for any resulting issues.
“The demands made by far-right extremists within our party aren’t going anywhere; if Speaker Johnson submits to them then it’ll lead us straight into government shutdown,” he added.
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