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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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The U.S. Senate is set to vote Thursday on a spending package that would fund numerous government agencies. If it is not passed, the inaction will send the U.S. into a partial government shutdown, wherein non-essential government services will grind to a halt and some federal workers will be furloughed.
The Senate has until January 30 to approve the spending measure, but Democrats have warned that they will not vote for it unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is removed from the latest funding package or reforms to the agency are put through.
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said via email that while "politicians in the Senate play games with Americans’ safety, they are blocking vital DHS funding that keeps our country secure and its people safe—from TSA and FEMA to the US Coast Guard and Border Patrol."
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What Is A Partial Government Shutdown?
A government shutdown would affect agencies that do not already have funding agreements in place.
But as Congress, led by Republicans, passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer, ICE has extra funding of $75 billion over the next four years.
So the partial shutdown is unlikely to hamper its operations. Meanwhile, other agencies already have funding agreements through the end of the 2026 fiscal year (September 30) so many other agencies will remain unaffected by a shutdown.
Calvin Jillson, a politics professor at Southern Methodist University in Texas told Newsweek: “It appears that we will have a government shutdown over ICE funding, beginning Saturday, though this one will include only some agencies and will likely be shorter than the extended shutdown late last year."
From October 1 to November 12, the U.S. experienced its longest government shutdown in history.
How Did The House vote?
The $1.2 trillion spending package, which includes about $64.4 billion for DHS and $10 billion for ICE, was passed by the House last week. The vote took place before anti-ICE sentiment had reached a fever pitch.
It now needs 60 votes in the Senate to advance, and with 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats in the chamber, the GOP will need the support of at least seven Democrats for the funding package to go ahead.
What Do Senate Democrats Want?
Senate Democrats want to withhold funding for DHS, and more specifically, ICE, after the shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti.
Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was shot dead in Minneapolis on Saturday during an enforcement operation. His killing was the second fatal shooting by a federal immigration officer in the city this month, following the January 7 death of Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE agent during another enforcement action.
The incidents fueled anger about the agency's conduct. Writing on X, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said: "In the wake of ICE’s abuses and the administration's recklessness, Senate Democrats will NOT pass the DHS budget until it is rewritten. I will vote no on any legislation that funds ICE until it is reined in and overhauled."
Schumer also outlined proposals to overhaul ICE, including making a requirement for federal agents to coordinate immigration arrests with local law enforcement, ending so-called roving patrols in cities, wearing visible identification, keeping body cameras activated and following a code of conduct that allows for accountability when rules are violated.
Jillson added: "The on-camera killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti has marshalled public opinion behind reform, forcing President Trump to modify his aggressive tone and try to deescalate the conflict. The Democrats’ goal will be to keep him in retreat until he concludes accepting at least some reforms and limits on ICE is the only way to stop the ugly images of citizens being shot in the street from playing in an endless loop on American TV screens.”
The House would have to approve stripping DHS funding from the spending package, but they are on recess this week and not due to return to Washington until February 2. However, some reports have indicated that the White House and Senate Democrats are negotiating a deal to meet the Democrats' demands.
When Does The Senate Vote?
The vote on the spending package will take place on Thursday night. If the shutdown goes ahead, it will start at 12:01 a.m. ET on Saturday.
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