Johnson Says House Has Votes to End Shutdown, Immigration Enforcement Debate to Follow

BY MIRABEL ODETA

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that he is confident Republicans have enough votes to end a partial federal government shutdown within days, adding that the House will then turn its attention to a prolonged debate over Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Johnson said he expects lawmakers to act quickly once members are able to return to Washington. “I’m confident that we’ll do it at least by Tuesday,” he said, noting that travel disruptions caused by a snowstorm across parts of the southeastern United States have made it difficult to get all lawmakers back to the Capitol.

The United States entered what is expected to be a short-lived shutdown on Saturday after Congress failed to pass legislation to keep large portions of the federal government funded. While the Senate overwhelmingly approved a temporary spending package on Friday, the House of Representatives was out of session, preventing final approval before the funding deadline expired.

Lawmakers from both parties have been working behind the scenes to ensure that an upcoming debate over immigration enforcement does not further disrupt government operations. The approach marks a shift from last autumn, when partisan battles over healthcare policy led to a shutdown that stretched on for a record 43 days and was estimated to have cost the U.S. economy about $11 billion.

Under the Senate-passed deal, funding for the Department of Homeland Security would be separated from the broader spending package. This would allow Congress to move forward with financing other federal agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Labor, while lawmakers negotiate potential changes to immigration enforcement policies. The move comes amid heightened scrutiny following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, an incident that has intensified criticism of federal immigration agents.

Johnson, whose party holds a razor-thin majority in the House, said the plan is to fund all federal agencies except DHS by Tuesday. He added that lawmakers would then enter a two-week period of negotiations aimed at resolving disagreements over immigration enforcement. “Our intention is to fund the rest of the government and then have two weeks of good-faith negotiations to figure it out,” he said.

The legislation includes a two-week stopgap measure to keep DHS operating temporarily. However, full-year funding for the department remains on hold as lawmakers debate possible restrictions and oversight measures for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Democrats have been pushing for reforms at ICE, including requiring agents to wear body cameras, ending the use of face masks, and curbing roving patrols. Representative Ro Khanna of California said he believes Democrats should withhold support for continued funding without changes. “I just don’t see how, in good conscience, Democrats can vote for continuing ICE funding when they’re killing American citizens,” he said during the television interview.

Johnson said he expects the Trump administration to make adjustments to some DHS practices but defended the use of masks by ICE agents, arguing that they are worn to protect the identities of officer sand their families.