The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to run out of funding at midnight Friday after lawmakers left Washington without reaching an agreement, triggering what will be the third government shutdown during President Trump’s second term.
Senate Democrats voted unanimously on Thursday to block a DHS spending bill that had been negotiated before the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis. Democrats are demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including requirements for judicial warrants before agents can enter private property, a ban on face masks for agents, mandatory body cameras, and new use-of-force standards.
“Today’s strong vote was a shot across the bow to Republicans. Democrats will not support a blank check for chaos,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference. “This vote today asked a simple question: Will you rein in ICE’s abuses, or will you vote to extend the chaos?”
Republicans also failed to pass a two-week funding extension that would have allowed more time for negotiations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticized Democrats, saying, “They don’t want the solution. They don’t want the answer. They want the political issue.”
Many lawmakers have already left town for the Presidents’ Day recess, with several senators heading to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, making a quick resolution unlikely. Both chambers are scheduled to be in recess for the next 10 days.
The shutdown will affect several key agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Thousands of personnel will be required to work without pay, and disaster reimbursements and cyber protections may be delayed.
TSA workers, including airport security staff, are expected to continue working without pay to minimize travel disruptions. Many FEMA workers will likely be furloughed, potentially limiting the agency’s ability to respond to natural disasters.
ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations will largely continue because of the $75 billion already approved by Congress in President Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” passed last summer.
The current standoff was triggered by the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations. In response to the controversy, Tom Homan, the U.S. border czar, announced that the administration was winding down “Operation Metro Surge” and reducing the number of ICE agents in Minnesota.
President Trump, when asked about the impending shutdown on Thursday, said he last spoke with Schumer “a week ago” and noted that some Democratic demands are “very hard to approve.”
“We have to protect our law enforcement,” Trump added.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Democrats of endangering national security: “Every other portion of the federal government has been funded except Homeland security. That’s telling the rest of the world the Democrat Party doesn’t think that protecting America is safe.”
This will be the second partial government shutdown this month, following a four-day shutdown at the end of January when Congress failed to pass a package of five appropriations bills. That shutdown ended when lawmakers agreed to fund every agency until the end of the fiscal year except DHS, which they extended for just two weeks.
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