The United States could be leaning toward another government shutdown, where federal agencies are forced to shut down because they are unable to pass legislation to fund federal agencies.
It wasn’t always like that. At first, it appeared that Friday’s deadline to pass a new spending package would pass without much fuss.
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However, with just a few days left until the deadline, an impasse has emerged. The change comes amid public outrage over recent shootings that resulted from President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Democrats have drawn a clear line in the sand since an immigration officer killed American citizen Alex Preti in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday.
They promised the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the agency leading President Trump’s deportation effort, not to approve increased funding unless it agrees to put guardrails on the use of force.
On Thursday, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Tom Homan said immigration officials would change their approach in Minnesota, but vowed a presence in the state would continue.
Senators have until midnight Friday (5 a.m. GMT Saturday) to find a solution. The circumstances leading up to this point and future developments are as follows.
What does the law say?
Republicans would need to reach a 60-vote threshold in the 100-member Senate to pass a funding bill. They currently control 53 seats, meaning they need the support of at least seven members of the Democratic caucus.
Overall, the bill includes six separate bills to fund the Department of Defense, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Treasury, and most notably, DHS.
All of these bills are included in the massive $1.2 trillion bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week. Without funding, non-essential services in these sectors would cease.
Want to vote individually on DHS funding?
Any changes to the House-approved package, including a separate vote on DHS funding, must overcome lengthy procedural hurdles in the Senate.
The bill will then need to return to the House for a new vote.
The House is currently in the middle of a week-long recess, and Republican Speaker Mike Johnson is unlikely to summon lawmakers back to Washington for a second vote.
How much funding does DHS have?
Compared to last year, the new spending package would increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) detention budget by $400 million and its enforcement budget by $370 million.
This is on top of a $170 billion windfall for DHS included in last year’s expansive tax and spending bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Approximately $75 billion has been allocated to ICE over the next four years.
Why is this funding so controversial?
Human rights activists have criticized the funding bill, which provides more money to ICE, the central agency in Trump’s deportation campaign.
This month alone, ICE was involved in two high-profile shooting deaths in Minneapolis. Preti’s murder on Saturday and the shooting of Renee Nicole Good on January 7th. Both were American nationals.
Still, a small number of Democrats broke with their party and voted in favor of the spending package. On January 22, seven Democrats supported the funding bill, while 206 opposed it.
The final vote was 220-207, with Republican Thomas Massie joining the majority Democrat in opposition.
This latest budget battle began less than three months after a record 43-day government shutdown ended on November 12, 2025. Polls show such disruptions are widely unpopular across the political spectrum.
What were your expectations leading up to this week?
Heading into Friday’s shutdown deadline, Senate Democrats were bracing for a similar split among party members.
Some lawmakers were expected to vote silently in support of the spending bill, concerned about the political prospects of another government shutdown.
On January 20, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray opposed another government shutdown, calling it an ineffective tactic to rein in ICE.
“ICE must be reined in, and unfortunately, neither is being reined in. [continuing resolution] “Because thanks to Republicans, ICE now has a huge slush fund that it can tap into whether funding legislation passes or not,” she said in a statement.
Murray called on the party to focus its efforts on winning the upcoming midterm elections. “The harsh reality is that Democrats must gain political power to achieve the accountability we need,” she said.
Why have Democratic sentiments changed?
Mr. Preti’s killing on Saturday changed the dynamics of the Democratic Party.
In the wake of the ICE shooting, the Trump administration made a series of baseless claims accusing Preti, a nurse who treated US veterans, of being a “domestic terrorist.” This made him even more angry about his death.
Senator Murray was among those who changed his position in the wake of the killing. Her reaction was obvious.
“I do not support the DHS bill as it stands,” she wrote in a post on social media platform X. “Federal agents can kill people in broad daylight with impunity.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also waived previous assurances that a government shutdown would be avoided.
Left-leaning senators Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen and Angus King also said they would not vote for the funding bill, despite leaving their party in November to end the last government shutdown.
In a post to X on Wednesday, Schumer showed little sign of conceding.
“In the wake of ICE abuses and the administration’s recklessness, Senate Democrats will not pass a DHS budget until it is rewritten,” he wrote.
Will the party remain united?
So far, only one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, has vowed to vote for the funding measure in the wake of Preti’s killing.
But the party has yet to offer a list of demands to Republicans, who remain largely united in their opposition to the government shutdown, although some have voiced disappointment over the events in Minnesota.
Democratic proposals include requiring judicial warrants for immigration arrests, eliminating Trump administration detention limits and requiring federal agents to remove masks and wear identification cards.
Other proposed measures include banning the deployment of Border Patrol agents into the interior of the United States and requiring the involvement of local and state authorities in investigations of use of force.
Minnesota officials have complained in recent weeks that they are being shut out of the federal investigation into Goode and Preti’s murders.
Trump has distanced himself from his administration’s comments calling Pretti a “terrorist,” but his more conciliatory tone has not extended to Democratic officials.
On Wednesday, he again blamed Democrats for escalating tensions in Minnesota, warning that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was “playing with fire” for not aligning with his own immigration policies.
Top Democrats, meanwhile, rejected promises for reforms that have not been codified into law.
“If we ever shut down government again, it will be because Congressional Republicans refuse to put guardrails on this reckless president and the ICE agency,” Sen. Dick Durbin said in a floor speech Wednesday.
“In the meantime, I encourage my colleagues to join the effort before then. [DHS Secretary] Kristi Noem and her troops have taken another innocent life. ”
