Trump seeks to avert DHS-driven shutdown as fight shifts to a two-week sprint
President Donald Trump moved quickly to negotiate with Democrats to try to avert a lengthy government shutdown over Department of Homeland Security funding, signaling a shift from last year’s shutdown battle in both tempo and public tone, according to the Associated Press. The effort came as senators weighed a rapidly approaching House vote on a funding package that could determine whether another prolonged shutdown fight would unfold.
In a social media post late Thursday, Trump warned, “The only thing that can slow our country down is another long and damaging government shutdown,” as urgency built among lawmakers ahead of the next House action. The push, described by AP as a clear change from last year’s posture during the 43-day shutdown, arrives amid renewed political strain and mounting scrutiny around DHS operations.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Friday after Senate passage of the government funding deal that Republicans and Democrats recognized the political and practical stakes of the issue. “Trump and the Republicans know that this is an issue where they’re on the wrong side of the American people and it really matters,” Schumer told reporters. AP reported that some Republicans were still frustrated with the direction of the deal and raised the prospect of a prolonged fight when the House returned Monday.
At the same time, the Minneapolis shootings tied the DHS funding dispute to a specific, immediate controversy for senators. Senators returned to work this week dealing with fallout from the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal immigration officers, as well as the killing of Renee Good in the city weeks earlier. Several senators sought a response that would include a thorough investigation while keeping support for the hard-line immigration approach that is central to Trump’s presidency.
While Republicans were divided, AP reported that most GOP senators tried to balance demands for investigation into the killings with continued backing for the administration’s immigration posture. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said, “I’ve never seen a political party take its best issue and turn it into its worst issue in the period of time that it has happened in the last few weeks.” He added, “Some things have to change,” framing the upheaval as a risk to the immigration agenda’s political momentum.
Democrats, AP said, quickly coalesced around a set of immigration enforcement oversight demands. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said there “was unanimity” around core principles that would include enforcing a code of conduct for immigration officers and agents, ending “roving patrols” for immigration enforcement actions, and coordinating with local law enforcement on immigration arrests. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said the video record surrounding DHS abuses had driven public revulsion, saying, “The world has seen the videos of those horrible abuses by DHS and rogue operations catching up innocent people, and there’s a revulsion about it,” and that the White House was seeking a way to de-escalate, adding, “The White House is asking for a ladder off the ledge.”
Beyond Minneapolis and the enforcement rules, lawmakers also approached the dispute with an eye on broader electoral and legislative pressures. Republicans were trying to promote accomplishments as they prepare for November elections and contend with the difficult task of retaining control of both chambers. AP reported that a shutdown prospect shifted attention away from Republicans’ $4.5 trillion tax and spending cuts law, part of their agenda, and that Republicans were mindful of political damage from last year’s shutdown.
AP also reported that, on a practical level, a renewed funding standoff threatened to undo months of bipartisan work on the 12 spending bills that fund the government and priorities back home. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, “We saw what happened in the last government shutdown in regards to how it hurt real, hardworking Americans,” and added, “I don’t want that to happen again.”
The latest agreement reached this week would, if the House passes it, avoid a prolonged shutdown by funding nearly every federal department through the end of the budget year in September, AP reported. But it would not resolve one of the hardest disputes facing Congress and the White House: how to fund and oversee DHS. Instead of a full-year deal, AP said funding for the department would be extended for just two weeks—setting up a short, intensive window for lawmakers to bridge deep divisions over immigration enforcement.
Democrats pressed for specific changes designed to prevent future abuses, including requiring immigration agents to wear body cameras, carry clear identification, end roving patrols in cities, and coordinate more closely with local law enforcement when making arrests. AP said many Democrats also want tighter rules around warrants and field-level accountability mechanisms. Republicans, AP reported, resisted those demands, and some said they opposed negotiating with Democrats at all.
On social media, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., questioned the premise of making concessions, writing, “Republicans control the White House, Senate and House. Why are we giving an inch to Democrats?” Other GOP senators said they planned to take the fight to Democrats by introducing their own bills, including restrictions on “sanctuary cities,” a term AP said is used for state and local governments that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
As the two-week DHS funding battle approaches, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Republicans needed to reposition their strategy, saying, “We’ve let the issue get away. We’re not leading. We’re trying to avoid losing rather than winning.” AP reported that Graham had held up the spending bills until Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., agreed to give him a vote on his sanctuary cities bill at a later date. Thune acknowledged the difficulty of the next two weeks, saying there are “some pretty significant views and feelings,” and added, “We’ll stay hopeful,” in remarks to reporters about the upcoming DHS fight.