Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 28, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate was unable to advance a funding package Thursday, pushing the federal government closer to a partial shutdown as Democrats press for restrictions on immigration enforcement.
The 45-55 vote needed at least 60 senators to agree to move forward with debate on the six appropriations bills that have been bundled together ahead of a Friday midnight deadline.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said shortly before the vote that he’s optimistic Democrats and President Donald Trump can broker some sort of agreement that avoids a shutdown. The package’s progress was thrown into doubt after the deadly shooting of a second U.S. citizen by immigration agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.
“I’ll let the White House speak for themselves. But there have been very constructive discussions and conversations I’ve been part of, and so let’s just say I’m hopeful,” Thune said. “But I don’t want to get the cart ahead of the horse.”
That deal would likely swap out the full-year funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security and replace it with a brief stopgap spending measure, giving lawmakers and the administration more time to broker a bipartisan deal.
The House would need to approve any changes to the package before it could head to Trump for his signature, which could lead to a funding lapse over the weekend and into Monday when that chamber is scheduled to return from a recess.
Senate Dem immigration reforms may wait
Thune said the changes to immigration enforcement that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., detailed earlier this week will not be included in this government funding package, but could be taken up in a bill later this year.
“That’s not going to happen in this bill,” Thune said. “But there’s a path to consider some of those things and negotiate that out between Republicans, Democrats, House, Senate and White House.”
Thune said negotiators hadn’t yet determined how long the stopgap spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security would be, but said he hoped the House — narrowly controlled by Republicans — would be able to quickly clear a reworked package after changes are finalized in the Senate.
Congress has approved half of the dozen annual government funding bills, but needs to clear the remaining measures before the stopgap spending bill keeping those departments running expires Friday at midnight.
A partial government shutdown would impact the Departments of Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, State, Transportation and Treasury. The Executive Office of the President, Supreme Court and judicial branch would also go without funding.
‘Enough is enough’
Schumer said in a floor speech the Trump administration’s handling of immigration enforcement has been a “moral abomination.”
“Enough is enough. What (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is doing outside the law is state-sanctioned thuggery and it must stop,” Schumer said. “Congress has the authority and the moral obligation to act.”
Schumer reiterated that Democrats support five of the funding bills in the package and will help advance them but said the Homeland Security bill “still needs a lot of work.”
During a Cabinet meeting Thursday morning, Trump said that he does not want a partial government shutdown and is working with Senate Democrats.
“Hopefully we won’t have a shutdown, we’re working on that right now,” Trump said. “I think we’re getting close, the Democrats, I don’t believe want to see it either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way.”
A White House official wrote in a statement that “President Trump has been consistent — he wants the government to remain open, and the Administration has been working with both parties to ensure the American people don’t have to endure another shutdown.”
“A shutdown would risk disaster response funding and more vital resources for the American people,” the official added. Funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is aiding states after a major winter storm last weekend, are included in the DHS bill.
Some consensus
Democrats and Republicans reached consensus on some changes to the Homeland Security appropriations bill after the Jan. 7 shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, including funding for body cameras and additional oversight of detention facilities.
The House approved that bill last week and sent it to the Senate as part of the larger package.
But border patrol agents’ shooting of Alex Pretti Saturday led Democrats to call for the DHS spending bill to be pulled to give lawmakers time to negotiate additional guardrails on federal immigration actions.
Schumer outlined a list of proposed changes Tuesday that included:
The end of roving patrols; Tightening the rules governing the use of warrants; Requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement to coordinate with state and local law enforcement; Implementing a uniform code of conduct that holds federal law enforcement to the same set of standards that apply to state and local agencies; Barring the wearing of masks; Requiring the use of body cameras; and Mandating immigration agents carry proper identification.In response to immigration agents who shot and killed Pretti, the president directed his border czar Tom Homan to head to Minneapolis.
Homan said during a morning press conference that immigration enforcement would only end if state officials cooperate and aid the federal government in the Trump administration’s immigration campaign. States and localities are not required to enforce immigration law, as it’s a federal responsibility.
Homan did not specify how long he would remain in Minnesota, only “until the problem’s gone.”
Collins urges lawmakers to back package
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged lawmakers to advance the entire package ahead of the vote, noting that changes to the Homeland Security funding bill cannot be made if senators don’t agree to formally begin debate first.
“My hope is that we can come up with an agreement that allows us to proceed to this bill and provide some additional safeguards and those negotiations are underway right now,” Collins said. “But if we don’t get on to this package we cannot change this package. And I think that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle need to recognize and acknowledge that.”
Collins noted that a stopgap spending bill for DHS wouldn’t implement the changes in the full-year bill, including body cameras, deescalation training and empowering the Inspector General to review and investigate detention centers.
“These are all critical reforms but it does not mean that we cannot do more,” Collins said. “But to do more we need to get on to the bill so that we can make the critical decisions that are being negotiated by leadership in both the House and the Senate and the White House.”
Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, said during floor debate that she would not vote for the package until the Homeland Security bill is removed.
“While I am very glad to see the White House and Republicans are now talking with Democrats to finalize a plan and pass the five bills and split off DHS, until that deal is finalized, I will be a no on this bill,” Murray said.
The full-year spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security, she said, should not become law until senators make “real progress on accountability.”
“ICE and (Customs and Border Protection) are out of control and we cannot approve that bill until common sense reforms are included,” Murray added.
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