Partial shutdown likely despite Senate passage of funding bill
Senators approved a plan to fund the government after hours of negotiations and a snag from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., though he later lifted his hold on the deal.
The 71-29 vote comes after Senate Democrats refused to vote on the originally proposed bill, which included funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats said new guardrails on immigration enforcement were needed before they would approve more funding.
The plan passed Friday night was originally agreed upon by Senate Democrats and the White House on Thursday. It approves five appropriation bills, with funding through September, and a two-week stopgap for DHS. The stopgap funds DHS at its current level as Congress continues to debate Democrats’ proposals for the department.
Despite the Senate coming to a consensus, funding for these six departments is still set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning. The House of Representatives has to approve the changes senators made before it can reach the president’s desk.
House leaders said representatives will not come back before Monday to vote on the bill. However, House Republicans have warned their Senate colleagues not to make any changes to the bill they passed.
The Hill reports that Republicans said they would seek significant concessions from Democrats if they split the six-bill package. Some have threatened to seek other ways to fund DHS without Democrats’ approval.
On the floor Friday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats’ demands aren’t radical.
“They’re basic standards the American people already expect from law enforcement,” Schumer said.
During Graham’s remarks on Friday, he said Republicans should not give up too much.
“To the Republican party, where have you been?” he asked, according to The Associated Press, while saying that federal immigration agents have been “slandered and smeared.”
Why are Democrats fighting DHS funding?
After the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents in Minnesota, Democrats demanded changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement.
Democratic leaders said they want to “overhaul” Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “ensure the public’s safety.” Democrats want to ban roving ICE patrols, require a warrant signed by a judge before officers forcibly enter private property and “enforce accountability” by creating a universal code of conduct that governs when federal agents can use force.
They have also proposed banning ICE officers from wearing masks and requiring them to wear body cameras and proper identification, according to The Hill.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
