A partial shutdown is being avoided in concept but not yet in execution, because the Senate’s votes and timing are now the binding constraint.
Democrats and the White House agreed to separate Department of Homeland Security funding from a broader spending package, extending DHS at current levels for two weeks while lawmakers negotiate Democratic demands aimed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement conduct.
President Donald Trump said “Republicans and Democrats have come together to get the vast majority of the government funded until September” while extending current DHS funding, and urged a bipartisan “YES” vote as the midnight Friday deadline approached.
Late Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there were “snags on both sides” as he and Sen. Chuck Schumer tried to assemble enough support before the deadline.
Democrats asked for the two-week extension and warned they are prepared to block the broader spending bill if their ICE-related demands are not met, denying Republicans the votes needed and risking a shutdown.
The demands include ending “roving patrols” in cities, tighter warrant rules, coordination with local law enforcement on arrests, and an enforceable code of conduct. Schumer said agents should operate with “masks off, body cameras on” and proper identification.
The push intensified after the deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis involving federal agents, including 37-year-old Alex Pretti, which prompted calls for a full investigation.
Republican resistance and intra-GOP friction
Sen. Lindsey Graham said he objected because ICE agents were being treated unfairly, while also opposing House language that would repeal a new law allowing senators to sue the government for millions if their personal or office data is accessed without their knowledge.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis rejected requiring officers to show their faces, citing risks to families, even as he criticized DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had been “vehemently opposed” to splitting the package but framed speed as the priority, while House Republicans warned they do not want changes to the bill they passed last week. The House Freedom Caucus told Trump the package “will not come back through the House without funding for” DHS.
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