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WASHINGTON — The cycle continues.
Once again, the federal government is on the brink of a shutdown — marking the third time in as many months — which threatens to disrupt operations at the Department of Homeland Security.
On Thursday, the Senate voted against a measure that would extend funding for the agency beyond the looming Friday deadline. This move comes as determined Democrats aim to curb President Trump’s extensive immigration measures.
Key agencies within the DHS, including the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are likely to be impacted by this funding shortfall.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) commented on the negotiations, stating, “At the moment, we’re not close,” although he remains hopeful that lawmakers will eventually come to an agreement. “The potential for a deal exists. This can be accomplished.”
A GOP attempt to prevent the partial government shutdown failed in a 52-47 vote, short of the 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster. Additionally, the House adjourned for a one-week recess on Thursday after wrapping up its business.
The Senate had voted to break the filibuster on a DHS funding measure that cleared the House last month. It could’ve been converted into a short-term spending patch to buy time for further negotiations.
All Republicans present, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), voted to break the filibuster on the DHS funding measure, though Thune later switched his vote to “nay” for procedural reasons so he can revive it later. All Democrats but Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) opposed it.
The all-but-certain DHS shutdown will impact some of the department’s agencies more than others, given that Republicans have already funded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Fueling the DHS shutdown are Democrats’ demands that the Trump administration make deep reforms to ICE in the wake of the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month.
“We need legislation to truly halt ICE’s abuses,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the floor of the upper chamber. “The administration doesn’t actually want to reform ICE.”
Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) unveiled a list of 10 demands last week, including banning ICE agents from wearing masks, tighter warrant requirements on immigration raids, and other reforms that GOP leadership quickly ruled out.
Republicans and the White House have since made a counteroffer that Democrats swatted down.
“I’m in the process of reviewing the most recent so-called offer from the White House,” Jeffries told reporters Thursday. “My preliminary assessment of it is that it falls short.”
Thune accused Democrats of “posturing” over the White House’s latest offer and contended “progress has been real.”
“There are a couple of issues obviously that they’re going to have to work through and work out, and lines that neither side is probably going to be able to cross,” he told reporters.
Just last week, Congress ended a four-day partial government shutdown with a deal that funded federal functions outside DHS for the remainder of the fiscal year, which lasts through Sept. 30, and funded DHS for 10 days. Thune had pushed for more than 10 days to carry out those negotiations.
Since the shootings of Good and Pretti, the Trump administration has scaled back its immigration enforcement activities in Minnesota, with border czar Tom Homan announcing Thursday that Operation Metro Surge is ending.
Homan also previously announced that the Trump administration is rolling out body cameras to immigration enforcement officers, one of the Democrats’ key demands.