Congress

The Hill -  A second high-profile killing by a federal agent in Minneapolis has jeopardized the chances of Congress averting a partial government shutdown as Democrats come out en masse against the funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

Lawmakers had been on the verge of completing their funding work for fiscal 2026 this week after the House last week passed its final four appropriations bills. However, the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, 37, a nurse at the city’s Veterans Affairs hospital, by a Border Patrol agent has seemingly torpedoed the chances of those bills passing the Senate, with one key Democrat after another saying they will not vote to fund DHS. 

Time -  The massive domestic policy bill President Donald Trump signed last year, which he dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” made Immigration and Customs Enforcement the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the nation. Under that law, ICE received a $75 billion supplement on top of its roughly $10 billion base budget, money it could potentially tap if its annual appropriations are interrupted. The measure, enacted with no support from Democrats, set aside roughly $30 billion for operations and $45 billion for expanding detention facilities, giving ICE a deep financial cushion as lawmakers clash over its conduct.

Federal funding expires at the end of the week—at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 31—and the House is in recess until February, leaving the Senate with few options to avoid a shutdown if it can’t pass the current measure.  

NPR - The majority of Senate Democrats say they will not vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security without new guardrails for immigration enforcement. Their opposition may risk a government shutdown on Friday, as the dispute could tank the entire $1.3 trillion spending package. 

Because the Senate is set to vote on the funding measures as one mega package, a vote against Homeland Security funding would also put funding for defense, health and more bipartisan bills in limbo, says NPR’s Sam Gringlas. Congressional Republicans gave ICE an extra $75 billion last summer, so Democrats will not stop the administration’s immigration crackdown by withholding these votes, Gringlas says. Even so, Democrats don’t want to hand over the $10 billion that is currently on the line.