Partial shutdown likely despite Senate passage of funding bill
Devin Pavlou
Fri, January 30, 2026 at 11:55 PM UTC
2 min read
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Key takeaways
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- Senate approves government funding plan after Democrats demand changes to immigration enforcement, removing DHS funding until September.
- House of Representatives must approve Senate changes before bill reaches president's desk, with House leaders not expected to vote until Monday.
- Democrats push for overhaul of ICE enforcement following fatal shootings, demanding accountability measures and restrictions on agents' actions.
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Senators approved a plan to fund the government after hours of negotiations and a snag from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. the day before, 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 approved by Senate Democrats and the White House on Thursday. It removes funding for DHS while funding the other five departments in the package already passed by the House of Representatives until September.
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DHS did, though, receive a two-week funding extension.
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.
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.
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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.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has demanded the Senate majority leader separate a DHS funding bill from the budget package. If that happens, Schumer said, Democrats would pass the other five spending proposals and prevent a shutdown.
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