The president said bipartisan negotiations are advancing as Congress remains divided over DHS funding ahead of a Jan. 30 deadline.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said Jan. 29 that the White House is closing in on an agreement with Senate Democrats to avert a partial government shutdown, as lawmakers race against a Jan. 30 funding deadline and remain deadlocked over immigration enforcement policy.
“Hopefully, we won’t have a shutdown. We’re working on that right now. I think we’re getting close with the Democrats,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “We’ll work in a very bipartisan way, I believe, not to have a shutdown. We don’t want a shutdown.”
Congress faces an imminent lapse in funding, with negotiations stalled largely over whether, and under what conditions, to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The dispute intensified after the Senate on Jan. 29 failed to advance a six-bill spending package that included DHS funding, following opposition from Democrats and a handful of Republicans.
The procedural vote fell short of the 60 votes required to move forward, ending in a 45–55 tally. Seven Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in voting no, while Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to support advancing the package.
The House of Representatives on Jan. 22 passed a nearly $1.2 trillion funding measure that bundled several appropriations bills, including one for DHS. Senate Democrats, however, have said they will not support the package unless DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding is revised to include additional limits and oversight.
The impasse comes amid heightened scrutiny of ICE following two fatal shootings involving federal agents in Minnesota, which sparked protests and renewed debate over immigration enforcement practices.
Democrats have argued that DHS funding should be considered separately from the broader spending package. Doing so, however, would require sending revised legislation back to the House, which is in recess until next week, leaving little time to act before funding expires.
If no agreement is reached, multiple federal agencies face shutdowns, including the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. Last year’s shutdown lasted 43 days, the longest in U.S. history.
On Jan. 28, Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, outlined three demands tied to DHS and ICE operations. The first calls for ending what Schumer described as “roving patrols” of ICE agents in U.S. cities, tightening warrant requirements, and improving coordination with state and local law enforcement.
The second demand seeks increased accountability for ICE agents. “Federal agents should be held to the same use-of-force policies that apply to state and local law enforcement and be held accountable when they violate those rules,” Schumer said.
The third demand would require ICE and other immigration agents to operate without masks, use body cameras, and carry state-issued identification at all times.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota has urged passage of the full House-approved package. “We need to fund the government,” Thune told reporters Jan. 28. “We have a bill sitting in the Senate today that does that.”
Not all Republicans agree on the path forward. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana said splitting DHS funding from the rest of the package may be “the only way” to prevent a shutdown.
Despite the uncertainty, Trump said negotiations remain active, expressing optimism that an agreement can be reached before the deadline.
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