Shutdown Threat Looms as Senate Democrats Pledge to Block Funding After Minneapolis Shooting

The threat of a partial government shutdown looms large this week after Senate Democrats came out against a funding package in the wake of the deadly shooting of a Minneapolis man by federal agents, with just days until the deadline to fund the government.

For weeks, lawmakers in both parties and across both chambers have been working to pass individual funding measures before government funding lapses on Friday, Jan. 30.

Six of the 12 appropriations bills have already cleared both chambers and been signed into law. And the Senate was expected this week to take up the remaining six funding measures, which passed the House earlier this month and were grouped together to secure swifter passage through the upper chamber.

The remaining six bills include funding for the departments of Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; Transportation and Housing and Urban Development; State; and Treasury and other related agencies. And crucially, funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE and Border Patrol, is part of the six-bill package.

Now, the grouping of those funding measures is creating complications in the Senate, after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents led a slew of Senate Democrats to oppose any funding package that includes DHS. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Saturday that Democrats would not provide the necessary votes to advance the package to fund the remaining government agencies and programs if DHS funding is included. With 53 Republicans, Democratic support is necessary to reach a 60-vote threshold to advance the legislation.

Even independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who was among a trio of senators who crossed the aisle to negotiate a deal with Republicans to reopen the government during the longest shutdown in history last year, said he won’t vote for a package that includes the DHS measure.

“I hate shutdowns,” King said on “Face the Nation” Sunday. “But I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances.”

Still, King, who caucuses with Democrats, argued that “there’s an easy way out” of the funding fight, saying Senate Majority Leader John Thune should separate the DHS bill from the other five funding measures.

“If those bills pass, 96% of the federal government is funded,” King said. “Take up DHS by itself, let’s have an honest negotiation, put some guardrails on what’s going on, some accountability, and that would solve this problem.”

King joined a number of Senate Democrats advocating for the approach. And later Sunday, Schumer signaled Democrats more broadly would be willing to move forward with the other five funding bills.

“Senate Republicans must work with Democrats to advance the other five funding bills while we work to rewrite the DHS bill,” Schumer said, calling it the “best course of action.”

But whether the will exists among Senate Republicans to strip out the DHS funding bill from the broader package, which would require unanimous consent, remains to be seen. Heading into the week, GOP Senate leaders were expected to move forward with the funding package as planned.

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