President Donald Trump pressed the House on Monday to act to end a partial government shutdown that began over the weekend, as negotiations stalled over what changes should accompany a federal funding package. Voting was expected to begin as soon as Tuesday, which would mark day four of the shutdown, according to the Associated Press. Trump said on social media, “We need to get the Government open, and I hope all Republicans and Democrats will join me in supporting this Bill, and send it to my desk WITHOUT DELAY,” and he added, “There can be NO CHANGES at this time.”
The impasse has left House Speaker Mike Johnson trying to move forward while relying on a narrow GOP margin, with Democrats arguing they should not help advance the package without first debating their immigration enforcement demands. Democrats said they want to curb how Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates after the shooting deaths of two Americans in Minneapolis, and Democrats’ position is tied to how they believe the Trump administration should proceed on deportation operations.
At the center of the dispute, House Democrats signaled they see no need to step in on a procedural move that the majority party would typically handle on its own. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters at the Capitol, “On rare occasions have we stepped in to deal with Republican dysfunction.” Democrats are seeking changes they say go beyond funding for body cameras, which they said is already in the bill. They pressed for requirements that federal immigration agents unmask and for a shift toward officers relying on judicial warrants rather than administrative warrants. Democrats also argued for changes including ending roving patrols, among other adjustments.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that officers on the ground in Minneapolis, including ICE, would be issued body-worn cameras immediately, and that the program would expand nationwide as funding became available. Even with that announcement, Democrats argued the overall immigration operations remain out of control and must change, starting in Minneapolis and extending elsewhere. Jeffries also said the administration needs to begin negotiations now rather than waiting for the next two-week period.
Some Democrats also faced internal pressure, with AP reporting that certain members were willing to break with Jeffries and press for quicker passage to avoid disruptive government shutdown impacts. Meanwhile, House Republicans also raised their own issues while trying to support Trump’s clampdown approach. The House Freedom Caucus insisted on fuller funding for Homeland Security, and at least some Republicans sought to attach the SAVE Act—a Trump priority that would require proof of citizenship for Americans to participate in federal election voting—drawing criticism that it would disenfranchise millions of voters.
Late Monday, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., dropped her demand to attach the voting bill to the funding package after meeting with Trump at the White House, according to AP. She later said it would be better to try to advance that bill separately through the Senate while keeping the government open, and AP reported that the change was viewed as helping Johnson’s prospects for moving the package forward.
As the parties stayed locked in negotiations, lawmakers from both sides said the partial shutdown threatened services and disrupted operations, including at agencies they depend on during emergencies. AP reported that the Pentagon, Homeland Security and other departments saw funding lapse Saturday, and that while many operations were deemed essential and still functioning, some workers could go without pay or be furloughed if the impasse persists.
The standoff also drew comparisons to last year’s shutdown battle, when Democrats sparked a 43-day federal shutdown to protest the expiration of health insurance tax breaks, AP reported. In that earlier episode, the eventual end included promises to vote on proposals to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, but Democrats were blocked from keeping the subsidies in place as Republicans opposed them, leading to insurance premium increases for millions of people, AP said.
In the latest effort to prevent a prolonged standoff, Trump and legislative leaders continued working on how to structure immigration changes without derailing the broader funding package. Johnson said he was in the Oval Office last week when Trump, along with border czar Tom Homan, spoke with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer about immigration changes. Johnson said possible areas of agreement include body cameras, already provided for in the package, and an end to roving patrols, while he drew a line on other Democratic requests.
Johnson said he did not think Republicans would support requiring immigration officers to remove their masks, warning it could create problems if personal images and private information were posted online by protesters. He also said Senate Majority Leader John Thune was moving away from requiring judicial warrants for officers’ searches during the immediate package timeline, with Thune suggesting it was likely to be part of upcoming negotiations rather than a condition of the current vote.
Thune said at the Capitol, “It’s going to be very difficult to reach agreement in two weeks,” as Democrats argued immigration operations must end the practices they say are occurring in Minneapolis and other cities. AP also reported that growing numbers of lawmakers are calling for Noem to be fired or impeached, adding to the political pressure surrounding the negotiations.