Senate Democrats are taking another government funding hostage with no real plan for how to achieve their policy aims.
The deadline to avert a partial government shutdown is midnight Friday, and Democrats are unwilling to fund the Department of Homeland Security and ICE without guardrails to protect against the Trump administration’s “abuses of power.”
“This is a time when we must fight back,” said Sen. Jacky Rosen, Nevada Democrat, after the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen protesting ICE in Minneapolis.
Some Democrats admit the fight is more about scoring political points than actually defunding ICE, which can still use the billions Republicans separately provided for the agency in their One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Americans must be eyes wide open that blocking the DHS funding bill will not shut down ICE,” said Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. “ICE is now sitting on a massive slush fund it can tap, whether or not we pass a funding bill.”
Every Senate Democrat has come out publicly in favor of separating the DHS spending bill from a broader appropriations package the Senate plans to take up this week.
And all but one are willing to risk a partial government shutdown to make their outrage against ICE clear.
Sen. John Fetterman, Pennsylvania Democrat, said he supports separating the DHS bill, but “it is unlikely that will happen,” and he will not vote in opposition to the broader package.
“I will never vote to shut our government down, especially our Defense Department,” he said.
Republicans say they are not willing to remove the DHS bill from the House-passed spending package, which also funds the departments of Defense, State, Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
“It appears that Democrats are so wedded to supporting people carrying guns trying to interfere with a lawful arrest that they will shut down the government,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, said, referring to ICE’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday.
He called Democrats’ decision to back out of a bipartisan agreement reached on the DHS spending bill last week “reckless” and said ICE is needed to “clean up the mess created by liberal sanctuary city policies.”
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, Maine Republican, said she shares the concerns surrounding Mr. Pretti’s “tragic death” but that less than 20% of the funding in the DHS bill is for immigration enforcement and border security functions.
The bill also includes funding for cybersecurity, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and FEMA, she said, noting the latter is especially important after the snow and ice storm that hit large swaths of the country.
Democrats acknowledge that their opposition to the DHS bill risks derailing priorities in the other five spending bills tied to it.
“There are big wins in this package — including important measures to lower costs for families, fund medical research, give a pay raise to our troops, and deliver crucial investments in Delaware communities,” said Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware Democrat. “They shouldn’t be held up because of ICE’s horrendous actions.”
Congress is already behind schedule in passing the 12 annual appropriations bills for fiscal 2026, which began Oct. 1 with a record 43-day shutdown as Democrats demanded an extension of enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies.
Democrats did not get what they wanted in that shutdown, and it is unclear if another will yield different results.
The impact of the shutdown will be slightly smaller this time, with roughly a quarter of the $1.6 trillion discretionary budget already enacted in six appropriations bills that have been signed into law.
The six remaining bills passed the House and were on track to clear the Senate this week until Mr. Pretti was killed, adding to the outrage after Renee Good was also fatally shot by ICE.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said those “appalling murders” must lead to an overhaul of ICE.
“People should be safe from abuse by their own government,” said the New York Democrat.
He wants the DHS bill renegotiated, but his caucus would help clear the other five spending bills ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline if Senate Republican leader John Thune puts them on the floor.
“If not, Republicans will again be responsible for another government shutdown,” Mr. Schumer said.
Thune spokesman Ryan Wrasse said Republicans are proceeding “as planned” to take up the full House-passed package.
“A government shutdown, even a partial one, does not serve the American people well,” he said, adding that Senate Democrats “are actively engaged in conversations” and he hopes they can find a path forward.
