ReportWire

Tag: Government Shutdown

  • Armed man enters secure Mar-a-Lago perimeter, shot dead by Secret Service

    [ad_1]

    An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m.The man had a gas can and a shotgun, authorities said. Investigators identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.He’s believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle.Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. The investigation is ongoingThe man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early Sunday morning.Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile. Asked whether the man was previously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”The FBI encouraged residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation. Martin was described by family as quiet and averse to gunsOn Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for Martin at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.Braeden Fields, Martin’s cousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martin as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.“He’s a good kid,” Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity.“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.He said his cousin didn’t discuss politics.“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”Trump faced two assassination attempts during his last campaignSunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. One rally attendee was killed by the gunman.White House brings in shutdown politicsWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”Leavitt used her post to blame Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department, which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changes to the president’s deportation campaign.The Secret Service is among the agencies where the vast majority of employees are continuing their work but missing a paycheck.“Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” Leavitt said. “It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI. Both Trump and his wife posted statements on social media after the incident, but they were unrelated to the shooting.Numerous recent acts of politically motivated violenceIn the past year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address there on Tuesday night.

    WASHINGTON —

    An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.

    Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m.

    The man had a gas can and a shotgun, authorities said. Investigators identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

    He’s believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle.

    Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign.

    The investigation is ongoing

    The man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

    “He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

    The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early Sunday morning.

    Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile. Asked whether the man was previously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”

    The FBI encouraged residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.

    In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation.

    Martin was described by family as quiet and averse to guns

    On Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for Martin at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.

    Braeden Fields, Martin’s cousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martin as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.

    “He’s a good kid,” Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.

    He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity.

    “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.

    He said his cousin didn’t discuss politics.

    “We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

    Trump faced two assassination attempts during his last campaign

    Sunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.

    A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.

    Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.

    Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. One rally attendee was killed by the gunman.

    White House brings in shutdown politics

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”

    Leavitt used her post to blame Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department, which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changes to the president’s deportation campaign.

    The Secret Service is among the agencies where the vast majority of employees are continuing their work but missing a paycheck.

    “Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” Leavitt said. “It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”

    The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI. Both Trump and his wife posted statements on social media after the incident, but they were unrelated to the shooting.

    Numerous recent acts of politically motivated violence

    In the past year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

    Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address there on Tuesday night.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Armed man enters secure Mar-a-Lago perimeter, shot dead by Secret Service

    [ad_1]

    An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m.The man had a gas can and a shotgun, authorities said. Investigators identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.He’s believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle.Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. The investigation is ongoingThe man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early Sunday morning.Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile. Asked whether the man was previously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”The FBI encouraged residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation. Martin was described by family as quiet and averse to gunsOn Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for Martin at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.Braeden Fields, Martin’s cousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martin as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.“He’s a good kid,” Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity.“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.He said his cousin didn’t discuss politics.“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”Trump faced two assassination attempts during his last campaignSunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. One rally attendee was killed by the gunman.White House brings in shutdown politicsWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”Leavitt used her post to blame Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department, which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changes to the president’s deportation campaign.The Secret Service is among the agencies where the vast majority of employees are continuing their work but missing a paycheck.“Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” Leavitt said. “It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI. Both Trump and his wife posted statements on social media after the incident, but they were unrelated to the shooting.Numerous recent acts of politically motivated violenceIn the past year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address there on Tuesday night.

    WASHINGTON —

    An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.

    Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m.

    The man had a gas can and a shotgun, authorities said. Investigators identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

    He’s believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle.

    Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign.

    The investigation is ongoing

    The man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

    “He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

    The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early Sunday morning.

    Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile. Asked whether the man was previously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”

    The FBI encouraged residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.

    In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation.

    Martin was described by family as quiet and averse to guns

    On Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for Martin at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.

    Braeden Fields, Martin’s cousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martin as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.

    “He’s a good kid,” Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.

    He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity.

    “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.

    He said his cousin didn’t discuss politics.

    “We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

    Trump faced two assassination attempts during his last campaign

    Sunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.

    A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.

    Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.

    Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. One rally attendee was killed by the gunman.

    White House brings in shutdown politics

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”

    Leavitt used her post to blame Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department, which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changes to the president’s deportation campaign.

    The Secret Service is among the agencies where the vast majority of employees are continuing their work but missing a paycheck.

    “Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” Leavitt said. “It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”

    The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI. Both Trump and his wife posted statements on social media after the incident, but they were unrelated to the shooting.

    Numerous recent acts of politically motivated violence

    In the past year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

    Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address there on Tuesday night.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • DHS shutdown leaves local emergency responders on their own amid extreme weather, expert warns

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    EXCLUSIVE: The partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security could have a critical impact on local disaster response without assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a public safety expert warned.

    In an interview with Fox News Digital, Jeffrey Halstead, the director of strategic accounts at Genasys, a communications hardware and software provider to help communities during disasters, said the DHS shutdown could impact emergency response and recovery efforts now that FEMA support has been restricted.

    “Every time that the government enters into one of these shutdowns, there’s a distinctive part of the federal government that is impacted, both reviewing the grant program or distributing funds from pre-awarded grant programs. This is exactly the area of DHS as well as FEMA that affects emergency managers, emergency response and recovering different cities, counties, and regions should they face a weather and/or disaster-related event,” Halstead said.

    Halstead, also a retired chief of police in Fort Worth, Texas, with more than 30 years in law enforcement, explained that government shutdowns delaying federal funds “drastically impacts” the local response to disasters.

    ICE SHUTDOWN FIGHT MIGHT RESTRICT FEMA, COAST GUARD TO ‘LIFE-THREATENING’ EMERGENCIES

    The Trump administration ordered FEMA to suspend the deployment of hundreds of aid workers to disaster-torn areas across the country during the DHS shutdown. (Al Drago/Getty Images)

    “I know personally, I was in Arizona for over 21 years, in Texas as chief of police for over seven, and then I was in Nevada for a long time, and I worked directly with a few states in the Western United States,” he said.

    “The last government shutdown pretty much ended their grant application process, meaning the grants would not be approved, not even be assigned and/or funds not released,” he continued. “This drastically impacts their ability to plan and to coordinate a lot of their planned response events. In Arizona, the central UASI region or the Urban Area Security Initiative, they have none of their grants being reviewed, which replaces outdated equipment, vehicles and funds training so that every quarter they can meet the standards and then be ready should something happen.”

    This comes as the Trump administration ordered FEMA to suspend the deployment of hundreds of aid workers to disaster-torn areas across the country during the DHS shutdown.

    More than 300 FEMA disaster responders were preparing for upcoming assignments, but were told to halt their travel plans. Grant systems are also not fully operational until lawmakers can reach a deal to fund the department.

    “The biggest impact is funding, the grants being distributed and then getting all that equipment and training aligned so that they can actually have a very successful year getting ready for a disaster,” Halstead said.

    DHS SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS WITHOUT PAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO AIRPORTS AND DISASTER RESPONSE

    FEMA SIGN

    More than 300 FEMA disaster responders were preparing for upcoming assignments, but were told to halt their travel plans. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

    “Should there be a traumatic weather event, critical incident or something that would require FEMA support, FEMA staff or FEMA resources, those may not be available,” he added. “This drastically impacts the city, county, state and federal collaboration efforts that literally are immediately engaged, aligned and resources deployed, sometimes within 12 hours. So this greatly inhibits their ability to plan effectively should a critical event, disaster event, or weather-related event come their way. They won’t have all these federal assets and resources that they have come to depend on, rely on, and work with in both their planning as well as training events or previous disasters where they responded and provided support.”

    As part of the move to end FEMA deployments, staffers currently working on major recovery efforts will remain on the sites and cannot return home unless their assignment ends, but no new personnel can join or relieve them without DHS approval.

    Recovery efforts are still ongoing in places like North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene devastated the region in the fall of 2024.

    As Halstead noted, the recovery effort is the “final piece for the emergency management cycle to get back to normalcy for that region.”

    “When that is dramatically impacted, you still see some areas of North Carolina a couple of years later still struggling in the recovery phase being completed,” he said. “That is directly related to all of these stalls and delays in FEMA, FEMA funding and the financial support needed to get the recovery phase completed.” 

    PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON AS DHS FUNDING TALKS STALL

    FEMA computer display

    FEMA staffers working on major recovery efforts will remain on the sites and cannot return home unless their assignment ends, but no new personnel can join or relieve them without DHS approval. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

    Asked about the importance of federal funding given recent extreme weather across the U.S. such as snow on the East Coast, flooding in California and fire disasters in the High Plains that forced evacuations, Halstead said it is “extremely critical” and that the delay in funds can impact the safety of local residents.

    “It’s absolutely extremely critical for emergency managers, your fire departments as well as law enforcement, to utilize not just these partnerships and the resources, but the funding allocations so that they can plan effectively in responding, operational control of the disaster, and then getting into that recovery mode … Then sometimes that delay, it’s going to impact the safety and the welfare of Americans,” Halstead explained.

    Republicans and Democrats in Congress have yet to reach a deal to end the partial shutdown, in large part due to Democrats’ demand for stricter oversight and reforms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the fatal shootings last month of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis, which the GOP has thus far resisted.

    President Donald Trump argued earlier this week that it is a “Democrat shutdown” and “has nothing to do with Republicans.”

    Halstead said he would like lawmakers on Capitol Hill to negotiate in good faith to end the shutdown so that first responders will have “effective means to do our jobs safely and very, very efficiently.”

    north carolinians walks along helene devastation

    Recovery efforts are still ongoing in places like North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene devastated the region in the fall of 2024. (Travis Long/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    “I know a lot of people are really upset because they leverage a significant political issue over a common funding agreement that should have been approved very quickly,” he said. “This has happened a lot in the last two to three years. We’ve seen shutdown after shutdown after shutdown. What a lot of citizens don’t realize is that when the government is shut down, all of this work — grant reviews, proposals, funding, disbursements — those are all delayed. Then there is a significant lag time getting back to an open government.”

    “They’re still negotiating all these extremely politically sensitive topics that are really divisive within not just Capitol Hill, but really our country,” Halstead added. “Then all of that backlog is now taking even longer to get approved, funded and funds being dispersed. So it’s a compounding effect on all of our emergency managers and our first responders to do their jobs effectively.”

    Halstead highlighted that a deal to reach the shutdown is unlikely before Trump’s State of the Union address next week, in which the president affirmed he would give the speech regardless, and that the ongoing delays in FEMA funding could last weeks.

    “It may be another two weeks at least until we can get this funded and get it back open,” Halstead said. “But then we still have these significant backlogs. It will take a significant amount of time.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Government shutdown hits DHS after Democrats blow up bipartisan funding deal over immigration uproar

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    The third government shutdown in under half a year has officially begun just after midnight on Saturday after Democrats and Republicans spent recent weeks battling over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

    Just one area of government has been left without federal funding as of midnight — the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Congress has completed roughly 97% of its yearly government spending responsibilities, but a deal on DHS has proved elusive after Democrats walked away from an initial bipartisan plan released last month.

    Now DHS, the third-largest Cabinet agency with nearly 272,000 employees, will see key areas of operation limited or paused altogether. Some 90% of DHS workers will continue on the job during the funding lapse, many without pay, according to the department’s Sept. 2025 government shutdown plan.

    Established in 2003 after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, DHS has jurisdiction over a wide array of agencies and offices. That includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Secret Service, among others.

    DHS SHUTDOWN LOOMS AS JOHNSON NAVIGATES GOP DIVIDE OVER STOPGAP SOLUTIONS

    The U.S. Capitol is pictured in Washington, D.C., Sept. 30, 2025.  (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

    Among those working without pay will be some 64,000 TSA agents and 56,000 active-duty, reserve, and civilian Coast Guard personnel. Those people and others are expected to receive back pay when the shutdown is over.

    But as of Friday afternoon, it does not appear the two parties are any closer to an agreement despite the Trump White House sending a potential compromise offer on Wednesday night.

    “It’s our expectation that we will respond to the unserious offer that Republicans have made that clearly omits things that need to happen,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said during a press conference. 

    “There are a variety of different areas where clearly the administration has fallen short of doing things that make things better for the American people. Until that happens, unfortunately, it appears that Donald Trump and the Republicans have decided to shut down other parts of the Department of Homeland Security.”

    NOEM SLAMS DEMS BLOCKING DHS FUNDING BILL CITING TSA, FEMA, COAST GUARD: ‘I HOPE THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES’

    Democrats blew up bipartisan negotiations over DHS funding last month after federal law enforcement agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during anti-ICE demonstrations there.

    Hakeem Jeffries

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Nov. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

    They are now demanding significant reforms to rein in ICE and CBP, many of which Republicans in Congress have long panned as non-starters, including banning ICE agents from wearing masks and requiring them to obtain judicial warrants before pursuing suspected illegal immigrants.

    What happens next will be up to Senate Democrats and the White House, who are expected to continue negotiating through the weekend and into next week if need be.

    SCHUMER, JEFFRIES MEND RIFT, PRESENT UNITED FRONT ON DHS REFORMS AS DEADLINE NEARS

    Both sides have traded proposals and legislative text on a compromise DHS funding bill, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus remained steadfast in their position that the GOP’s offer didn’t go far enough.

    Meanwhile, the majority of House and Senate lawmakers left Washington on Thursday and are not currently expected to return until Feb. 23.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that he would give lawmakers 24 hours’ notice to return to Washington, D.C., should there be a breakthrough, and remained optimistic that there was a path forward despite Democrats’ blockade. 

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the Capitol

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., turns to an aide during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, June 3, 2025.  (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

    “Every iteration of this gets a step closer, because I think the White House is giving more and more ground on some of these key issues,” Thune said. “But so far, they’re not getting any kind of response to Democrats, even allowing us to continue this, allowing [the] government to stay open.”

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    But Democrats have reiterated several times that they believe their demands are simple. 

    “Again, the only — the fundamental ask is that ICE abide by the same principles and policies of every other police force in the country, and if we can get there, then we can resolve the problem,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said.

    Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., gave House lawmakers his blessing to leave Washington with a 48 hours’ notice to return pending Senate action, two sources told Fox News Digital.

    Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

    Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Senate fails to advance DHS funding, teeing up partial shutdown as deal remains out of reach

    [ad_1]

    Washington — Unless there’s a last-minute breakthrough, another partial government shutdown is due to begin at midnight after the Senate failed to advance a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday.

    In a 52 to 47 vote, all but one Democrat — Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — opposed moving forward with the bill, which would fund DHS through September. The motion needed 60 votes to succeed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, voted against the motion in a procedural move that allows him to bring it up again.

    Funding for DHS, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, is set to lapse at 12 a.m. Saturday. ICE and CBP would continue operating if that happens, since they received billions of dollars in separate funding last year.

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said his caucus would vote against moving forward because the bill “fails to make any progress on reining in ICE and stopping the violence.”

    Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican who has led the negotiations with Democrats and the White House, sought to approve a two-week funding extension by unanimous consent after the failed vote. 

    “Two weeks ago we agreed to extend funding while we talked and tried to find a pathway forward. However, the timeline we knew was going to be short,” Britt said. “We are working in good faith to find a pathway forward. What we’re asking is, let us continue to do that.”

    Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, objected. 

    “I wish we weren’t here. I wish our Republican colleagues and the White House had shown more seriousness from the start,” Murphy said. “But Senate Democrats have been clear that we have all taken an oath, an oath to uphold the law of the country, and this Department of Homeland Security, this ICE, is out of control.”

    Democrats and Republicans have been negotiating reforms to ICE and CBP, but the two sides have failed to reach an agreement. The White House sent a legislative proposal for full-year funding late Wednesday, days after Democrats sent their own draft bill. On Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, told CBS News that his “preliminary assessment” of the latest offer “is that it falls short of the type of dramatic changes necessary in order to change ICE’s out-of-control behavior.”

    Last week, in a letter to their GOP counterparts, Democratic leadership laid out a list of their demands for ICE reforms. Congressional Democrats have demanded changes to ICE and CBP in exchange for their votes to fund DHS since Alex Pretti was shot and killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis last month.

    Democrats want to restrict immigration agents from wearing masks, require them to wear identification and body cameras and standardize their uniforms and equipment. They also want to ban racial profiling, require judicial warrants to enter private property and bar immigration enforcement at medical facilities, schools, child care facilities, churches, polling places and courts. And they pushed to impose “reasonable” use-of-force standards; allow state and local jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute “excessive force;” and introduce safeguards into the detention system.

    President Trump told reporters Thursday afternoon that some of the Democrats’ demands are “very, very hard to approve.”

    Thune told reporters Thursday morning that he thought the White House’s latest offer is “pretty close” to getting into the “agreement zone.” 

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10, 2026. 

    Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images


    “I think it’s up to the Dems to react to this,” Thune said. “Right now, at least there ought to be an understanding that these discussions need to continue, and that a solution is at least in sight.”

    Still, senators are leaving town after Thursday and are set to be away from Washington on recess next week. And Thune said he doesn’t see the benefit of keeping senators around as talks continue. 

    “If and when there’s a breakthrough, we’ll make sure people are here to vote on it,” Thune said. The GOP leader told CBS News that senators would be expected to return within 24 hours or as soon as possible if a deal is reached. 

    Schumer said Democratic negotiators “will be available 24/7” to continue discussions once the White House and Republicans are ready to “get serious.” 

    “Today’s strong vote was a shot across the bow to Republicans,” Schumer said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. 

    Along with funding for the immigration enforcement agencies, DHS also oversees the Coast Guard, FEMA and TSA, all of which would be impacted by a lapse in funding. ICE and CBP operations would continue because they received an influx of funds in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

    The impasse over DHS funding led to a four-day-long partial government shutdown earlier this month. Lawmakers ultimately agreed to fund every government agency except DHS until the end of the fiscal year. They also extended DHS funding for two weeks to buy more time for negotiations.

    Jaala Brown,

    Nikole Killion and

    Caitlin Huey-Burns

    contributed to this report.

    In:

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • DHS shutdown explained: Who works without pay, what happens to airports and disaster response

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    A partial government shutdown is all but certain after Senate Democrats rejected attempts to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offered by Republicans on Thursday afternoon.

    But it will not look like the record-long 43-day full shutdown that paralyzed Congress last year, nor will it look like the shorter four-day partial shutdown that hit Capitol Hill earlier this month. That’s because Congress has already funded roughly 97% of the government through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2026 on Sept. 30.

    When the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14, just DHS will be affected by a lapse in its federal funding. While it’s a vastly smaller scale than other recent fiscal fights, it will still have an impact on a broad range of issues given DHS’s wide jurisdiction.

    SCHUMER, DEMS CHOOSE PARTIAL SHUTDOWN AS NEGOTIATIONS HIT IMPASSE

    A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer stands near a security checkpoint. (Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images)

    Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

    Disruptions to the TSA, whose agents are responsible for security checks at nearly 440 airports across the country, could perhaps be the most impactful part of the partial shutdown to Americans’ everyday lives.

    Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday that around 95% of TSA employees — roughly 61,000 people — are deemed essential and will be forced to work without pay in the event of a shutdown.

    McNeill said many TSA agents were still recovering from the effects of the recent 43-day shutdown. “We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet,” she said.

    TSA paychecks due to be issued on March 3 could see agents getting reduced pay depending on the length of the shutdown. Agents would not be at risk of missing a full paycheck until March 17.

    If that happens, however, Americans could see delays or even cancellations at the country’s busiest airports as TSA agents are forced to call out of work and get second jobs to make ends meet.

    SHUTDOWN CLOCK TICKS AS SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING DEMANDS

    Coast Guard

    The U.S. Coast Guard is the only branch of the armed forces under DHS rather than the Department of War, and as such would likely see reduced operations during a shutdown.

    That includes a pause in training for pilots, air crews and boat crews until funding is restarted.

    Admiral Thomas Allan, Coast Guard Vice Commandant, warned lawmakers that it would have to “suspend all missions, except those for national security or the protection of life and property.”

    A lapse in its funding would also result in suspended pay for 56,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel, which Allan warned would negatively affect morale and recruitment efforts.

    Chuck Schumer speaking at podium

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks at a press conference following the passage of government funding bills, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2026. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

    Secret Service

    The U.S. Secret Service (USSS), which is critical to protecting the president and key members of the administration, is also under DHS’s purview. 

    While its core functions would be largely unaffected by a shutdown, some 94% of the roughly 8,000 people the service employs would be forced to work without pay until the standoff is resolved.

    Deputy USSS Director Matthew Quinn also warned that a shutdown could also hurt the progress being made to improve the service in the wake of the July 2024 assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.

    “The assassination attempt on President Trump’s life brought forward hard truths for our agency and critical areas for improvement — air, space, security, communications and IT infrastructure, hiring and retention training, overarching technological improvements,” Quinn said. “We are today on the cusp of implementing generational change for our organization. A shutdown halts our reforms and undermines the momentum that we, including all of you, have worked so hard to build together.”

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

    ICE operations would largely go on unimpeded during a shutdown, despite Democrats’ outrage at the agency being the main driver of the current standoff.

    Nearly 20,000 of ICE’s roughly 21,000 employees are deemed “essential” and therefore must work without pay, according to DHS shutdown guidance issued in September 2025.

    But even though it’s the center of Democrats’ funding protest, ICE has already received an injection of some $75 billion over the course of four years from Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). It means many of its core functions retain some level of funding even during a shutdown.

    Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

    CISA is responsible for defending critical U.S. sectors like transportation, healthcare, and energy from foreign and domestic threats.

    The agency would be forced to reduce operations to an active threat mitigation status and activities “essential to protecting and protecting life and property,” according to Acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala.

    That means a shutdown would significantly reduce CISA’s capacity to proactively monitor for potential threats from foreign adversaries.

    “We will be on the defensive, reactive as opposed to being proactive, and strategic in terms of how we will be able to combat those adversaries,” Gottumukkala said.

    Operations like “cyber response, security assessments, stakeholder engagements, training, exercises, and special event planning” would all be impacted, he said.

    Secret Service outside the White House

    A U.S. Secret Service police officer stands outside the White House the day after President Donald Trump announced U.S. military strikes on nuclear sites in Iran on June 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

    Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

    FEMA, one of the largest recipients of congressional funding under DHS, would also likely see reduced operations if a shutdown went on for long enough.

    The bright spot for the agency is that past congressional appropriations have left its Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), the main coffer used to respond to natural disasters throughout the U.S., with roughly $7 billion.

    The DRF could become a serious problem if the DHS shutdown goes on for more than a month, however, or in the event of an unforeseen “catastrophic disaster,” an official warned.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    FEMA is also currently working through a backlog of responses to past natural disasters, progress that Associate Administrator of the Office of Response and Recovery Gregg Phillips said could be interrupted during a shutdown.

    “In the 45 days I’ve been here…we have spent $3 billion in 45 days on 5,000 projects,” Phillips said. “We’re going as fast as we can. We’re committed to reducing the backlog. I can’t go any faster than we actually are. And if this lapses, that’s going to stop.”

    Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

    Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • 2026 Government Shutdown: Latest News and Impact on ICE

    [ad_1]

    Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    One of the most confusing federal-government shutdowns in living memory began at midnight on January 31 when the stopgap-spending authority that ended the last government shutdown in November ran out. The shutdown was triggered by Democratic fury (and Republican misgivings) over ICE and Border Patrol atrocities in Minneapolis. But Congress had to unravel and end the shutdown before it could begin serious negotiations on new guidelines for immigration enforcement.

    The Departments of Defense, Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and State — along with the department that supervises immigration enforcement, Homeland Security — shut down on Friday night. Other agencies remained open because spending bills affecting them passed both houses of Congress before the Minneapolis crisis began.

    But the partial shutdown will end later today after two close votes in the House approved a Senate bill to reopen all government departments other than DHS. That agency will receive stopgap spending authority until February 13 to allow for very difficult negotiations over immigration enforcement policies and tactics.

    Here’s how we got here and what we know about what will happen next:

    The current crisis began when the House combined six regular appropriations bills into one huge package after allowing a separate vote over DHS funding as protests against ICE were breaking out around the country (it passed narrowly with just seven Democratic votes). The House then adjourned, hoping to “jam” the Senate into approving the whole package and keeping the government fully open.

    But after Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti, Senate Democrats withheld the votes needed to clear the spending package, demanding reforms in immigration enforcement. As the January 30 deadline approached, the White House became engaged in the dispute and cut a deal with Chuck Schumer to provide a separate two-week stopgap-spending bill for DHS to allow for further negotiations and pass the rest of the appropriations. This arrangement cleared the Senate late on January 30, with most Republicans and about half the Democrats going along. Because the earlier House package was changed by the Senate, the Trump-Schumer deal went back to the House for its approval. In the meantime, the affected federal departments had to shut down.

    The House wasn’t privy to the Trump-Schumer deal, and there was grumbling over it in both party caucuses. House Democrats are sensitive to the explosion of grassroots anger at the Senate Democrats who failed to use their leverage to either force major ICE reforms in exchange for keeping the government open, or to defund ICE altogether. Hardcore conservative House Republicans are upset about a rumored White House “pivot” away from total support for aggressive ICE tactics. Some wanted to attach provocative anti-immigrant conditions to the Senate deal, like measures to defund “sanctuary cities” or a forced Senate vote on the SAVE Act, which would impose new citizenship-ID requirements for voting. Democrats made it clear such amendments would be unacceptable poison pills that would extend the shutdown indefinitely.

    House Speaker Mike Johnson had hoped to get around these grumbling factions with a quick vote right after the House reconvened on Monday to approve the Senate deal under a suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds vote. But in recognition of the divisions in his own ranks, and likely annoyed that he was left out of the Trump-Schumer negotiations, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries informed Johnson that he couldn’t promise the requisite number of votes to make the suspension of the rules feasible.

    So Johnson was forced to go through the laborious process of getting a vote set up via House passage of the “rule” for consideration of the Senate deal. By ancient tradition, the minority party won’t vote for the majority’s “rule,” so the Speaker was forced to obtain must virtually every Republican vote for it. By all accounts, Trump spent Monday twisting arms and quelling dissent. House Freedom Caucus types asked for and probably received assurances from Trump that he won’t back down too much on ICE or on mass deportation generally if and when negotiations on the DHS spending bill ever happen. The rule passed by one vote with just one Republican (Thomas Massie) dissenting.

    Passage of the rule brought the Senate deal to the House floor, where it passed by a 217-214 vote, with 21 Democrats voting for it (mostly outspoken “moderates” and some very senior members in safe seats) and 21 Republicans voting against it (mostly House Freedom Caucus members). It looks like Johnson figured out how many Democrats he could get to vote for the bill and gave an identical number of Republicans a “free vote” to oppose it. The outcome showed that nobody really wantsed the partial shutdown to continue, but everyone is aware that once everything other than the DHS bill is resolved, Democratic leverage to secure restraints on immigration-enforcement agents will be reduced significantly. Trump will sign the bill momentarily and the shutdown will officially end.

    Absolutely not. Negotiations haven’t begun, and there are signs of a deepening partisan rift on the subject. Senate Democrats announced a list of substantive demands prior to the Trump-Schumer procedural deal that included a requirement for judicial warrants before ICE–Border Patrol arrests; coordination with local law enforcement (and deference to their use-of-force rules); and an end to masking. Any or all of these demands could be deal-breakers with the White House, aside from whatever additional demands House Democrats insist upon.

    We’ll know soon enough: The Senate-passed CR for DHS expires on February 13. If no substantive deal is struck that can get through both Houses and and also secure Trump’s signature, the options are either another CR to allow more time for negotiations or a new shutdown of DHS (which includes, in addition to immigration enforcement, agencies like FEMA and the Coast Guard). The only good thing about these scenarios is that at least it will be clear to everyone what the fight’s about.

    This piece has been updated throughout.


    See All



    [ad_2]

    Ed Kilgore

    Source link

  • ‘We’re going to get this job done’: GOP Leaders see narrow path to end partial shutdown Tuesday

    [ad_1]

    The House is expected to vote today on a funding bill aimed at ending the partial government shutdown, with President Donald Trump urging lawmakers to act swiftly despite Democratic calls for changes to immigration operations.The deal that passed the Senate last week funds the government through the rest of the fiscal year, except for the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers would have until Feb. 13 to negotiate Homeland Security funding and immigration enforcement provisions. On Monday, Trump told both sides in the House to send the bill to his desk without any delays, expressing his desire to see the government reopen as soon as possible. “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,” the president wrote on social media.However, many Democrats want to see changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations before anything is signed.”The American people want to see the masks come off. The American people want to see body cameras turned on, and mandated. The American people want to see judicial warrants,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.House Speaker Mike Johnson argues that requiring immigration officers to remove masks would not have support from Republicans, as it could lead to problems if their personal images and private information are posted online by protesters. Passing this legislation could be a challenge because Johnson is working with a razor-thin majority and can only afford to lose one Republican defection, but he is confident he will pull it off.”We’re going to get this job done, get the government reopened. Democrats are going to play games and the American people can see who really cares,” Johnson said.Lawmakers from both parties are concerned the shutdown will disrupt the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which they rely on to help people after deadly snowstorms and other disasters.Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:

    WASHINGTON —

    The House is expected to vote today on a funding bill aimed at ending the partial government shutdown, with President Donald Trump urging lawmakers to act swiftly despite Democratic calls for changes to immigration operations.

    The deal that passed the Senate last week funds the government through the rest of the fiscal year, except for the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers would have until Feb. 13 to negotiate Homeland Security funding and immigration enforcement provisions.

    On Monday, Trump told both sides in the House to send the bill to his desk without any delays, expressing his desire to see the government reopen as soon as possible.

    “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,” the president wrote on social media.

    However, many Democrats want to see changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations before anything is signed.

    “The American people want to see the masks come off. The American people want to see body cameras turned on, and mandated. The American people want to see judicial warrants,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

    House Speaker Mike Johnson argues that requiring immigration officers to remove masks would not have support from Republicans, as it could lead to problems if their personal images and private information are posted online by protesters.

    Passing this legislation could be a challenge because Johnson is working with a razor-thin majority and can only afford to lose one Republican defection, but he is confident he will pull it off.

    “We’re going to get this job done, get the government reopened. Democrats are going to play games and the American people can see who really cares,” Johnson said.

    Lawmakers from both parties are concerned the shutdown will disrupt the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which they rely on to help people after deadly snowstorms and other disasters.

    Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:


    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Groundhog Day and Friday the 13th

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Congress is a very superstitious place. Only on Capitol Hill would temporal markers like Groundhog Day and Friday the 13th hold legislative resonance.

    The partial government shutdown will continue until at least Tuesday. This impacts 78% of the federal government after Democrats scuttled a multi-bill spending plan last week over concerns about ICE.

    The charge now for the House of Representatives is to align with a revised Senate-passed plan from Friday. This bill would fund the Pentagon, HUD, transportation programs and a host of agencies through September 30. But it would only operate DHS temporarily as Democrats demand reforms to ICE.

    Many House Democrats balked at the plan supported by many Senate Democrats on Friday. That contributed to uncertainty about whether the House can reopen the government this week. First, House Democrats argued they weren’t a party to the deal cut by many Senate Democrats to partly fund the government and only apply a Band-Aid to DHS funding.

    DEMOCRAT WHO BROKE WITH PARTY SAYS HIS DHS FUNDING VOTE A ‘MISTAKE’ AFTER 2ND MINNEAPOLIS ICE SHOOTING

    The partial government shutdown will continue until at least Tuesday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

    House Democrats seethed — not so privately – last March when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other Democrats agreed to help Republicans avoid a shutdown. So last Thursday, I asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) if he and Schumer were in sync this time.

    “First of all, that question is, so March of 2025,” Jeffries chided.

    He then ran through a litany of examples of House and Senate Democrats aligning, ranging from health care to the fall government shutdown. Jeffries then answered the question.

    “Yes. Short answer. We are on the same page,” said Jeffries.

    And then added a caveat — which is so February 2026.

    “Now with respect to what emerges from the Senate, as is always the case, we will evaluate whatever bill comes over to us on its merits,” said Jeffries.

    Some Democrats were fine with the funding deal. Moderate Democrats didn’t want to continue the government shutdown. It’s bad politics back home. Others embraced earmarks they secured in the funding package. Yet progressives argued they couldn’t support any funding bill until they saw concrete plans to reform ICE. That’s to say nothing of some on the left wanting to defund ICE.

    “I will be voting no on this funding package. I refuse to send another cent to (White House Adviser) Stephen Miller or (Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee.

    But Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, planned to vote yes. The bill funds most of the government for the rest of the fiscal year. And it buys time to get a deal on ICE.

    “If we do not do that, we will not be able to bring the kinds of pressure that is necessary to make sure that ICE does not continue to terrorize our communities,” said DeLauro.

    So there may be the votes to pass the bill. But the real problem may be on a test vote, known as the rule.

    The House must approve the rule first to determine how it will handle a bill on the floor. If the House adopts the rule, it can debate and vote on the bill. If the vote on the rule fails, the gig is up.

    Some Republicans may oppose the rule. And Democrats made clear they would not assist on the procedural measure which is customarily carried by the majority party.

    “Republicans have a responsibility to move the rule,” said Jeffries. “If they have some massive mandate, then go pass your rule.”

    House Republicans feel the pressure.

    HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS DRAWS LINE ON DHS, ICE FUNDING AS MINNEAPOLIS UNREST FUELS SHUTDOWN RISK

    Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer

    House Democrats seethed last March when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats agreed to help Republicans avoid a shutdown. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

    “We always work until the midnight hour to get the votes. You never start the process with everyone on board,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).

    It’s about the math.

    The Republican majority shrank Monday after the House swore-in Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX). He won a special election in Texas over the weekend. The GOP majority now holds a 218-214 advantage. In other words, Republican can lose one vote and still pass a bill on their own if every Member casts a ballot.

    “Does his election make your job a little tougher tomorrow?” I asked House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he met with Menefee for the ceremonial swearing-in.

    “We have a one vote margin now. So what could go wrong? That’s fine. We’re happy for him. And, I hope the first vote is not to shut the government down. That’s not a good way to start,” said Johnson.

    “Are you going to make the job a little harder on the Republican side tomorrow?” I queried Menefee.

    “I just got elected on Saturday and just jumped off the plane to get here. So my first job is to figure out what the bathroom is,” said Menefee.

    I followed up.

    “Does that mean a no vote tomorrow?”

    “It means I’ve got to consider the issues very thoughtfully and cast a vote that matches my values,” deflected Menefee.

    “Good answer!” exclaimed an ecstatic Johnson.

    So everything hinges on the rule vote. If the House crosses that procedural hurdle, it can probably pass the bill and end the shutdown. If not, there’s trouble.

    President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he hoped there was a bipartisan solution to what he termed a “long, pointless and destructive shutdown.”

    Perhaps it’s only appropriate that everyone was talking about ending a government shutdown on Groundhog Day. Especially after the record-breaking 43-day shutdown last autumn.

    By the way, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. He forecast six more weeks of winter. After all of these funding fights, when is someone going to ask Phil for his prognostication about the shutdown?

    But forget Groundhog Day. What everyone should really focus on is Friday the 13th. As in a week from Friday. If the House aligns with the Senate and ends the partial government shutdown, lawmakers only have until 11:59:59 pm et on Friday the 13th to fund DHS. Otherwise, DHS remains broke. Again. That means FEMA has issues. TSA agents aren’t getting paid. You name it.

    SENATE DEMOCRATS THREATEN SHUTDOWN BY BLOCKING DHS FUNDING AFTER MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING

    Donald Trump speaking at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington.

    President Donald Trump said that he hoped there was a bipartisan solution to what he termed a “long, pointless and destructive shutdown.” (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    It’s hard to address issues with ICE in such a tight timeframe.

    “Republicans need to take a good look at what’s happening around the country and realize too that it’s time to rein in ICE’s abuses,” said Schumer.

    Some Republicans agree.

    “We should have been focusing on criminals and gang members and people with active deportation orders. I don’t think we should have been focusing on people that have been here for a long time, grandmothers, et cetera, that happen to be in a neighborhood when you’re doing an enforcement action,” said Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) on Fox Business. “I think that that was a mistake and I think it’s coming back to haunt us right now.”

    So there’s bipartisan agreement on addressing ICE. But those reforms must make it through both the House and Senate by Friday the 13th.

    Only Congress could create a nightmare like this.

    Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Senate Republicans push for House GOP rebellion against funding package, voter ID legislation

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    A pair of Senate Republicans are pushing their House counterparts to reject the Trump-backed shutdown deal unless it includes Homeland Security funding and election integrity legislation. 

    Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, are calling on House Republicans to push back against the Senate-passed funding package, which includes bills to fund five agencies including the Pentagon, as a partial government shutdown continues on. 

    They contended that the package needs to be retooled, and must include a modified version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, dubbed the SAVE America Act, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, which was stripped out after Senate Democrats threatened to blow up the government funding process. 

    HOUSE DEMOCRATS MUTINY SCHUMER’S DEAL WITH WHITE HOUSE, THREATENING LONGER SHUTDOWN

    Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fl., demanded that his House Republican colleagues reject the Senate-passed funding package unless it included DHS spending and voter ID legislation.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

    Doing so could extend what was expected to be a short-term shutdown.

    Scott said congressional Democrats would “NEVER fund DHS” and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He voted against the package twice, arguing that the spending levels would further bloat the nation’s eye-popping $38 trillion national debt, and that the billions in earmarks betrayed Republicans’ previous vows of fiscal restraint.

    “If House Republicans don’t put the DHS bill back in, add the SAVE America Act and remove the wasteful earmarks, Democrats win,” Scott said. “We must protect our homeland, secure our elections and end the reckless spending NOW!”

    HOUSE CONSERVATIVES THREATEN EXTENDED SHUTDOWN OVER ELECTION INTEGRITY MEASURE

    Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, walks through the Senate subway.

    Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wants House Republicans to push back against the Trump-backed government funding deal, and demanded that it include DHS funding and his voter ID legislation.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

    Lee also rejected the package in the Senate because of earmarks. He also agreed with Scott, and pushed for his SAVE America Act, which he introduced alongside Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., to be included.

    “To my friends in the House GOP: Please put DHS funding back in, then add the SAVE America Act,” Lee wrote on X. 

    The updated version of the SAVE Act would require that people present photo identification before voting, states to obtain proof of citizenship in-person when people register to vote and to remove non-citizens from voter rolls. 

    But their demands run counter to the desire of President Donald Trump, who brokered a truce with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to strip the DHS bill following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during an immigration operation in Minneapolis in order to ram the funding package through the Senate.

    GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AGAIN AFTER DEMOCRATS REVOLT OVER DHS FUNDING

    House Speaker Mike Johnson on Capitol Hill

    Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., walks from the chamber to speak with reporters after the final vote to bring the longest government shutdown in history to an end, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

    And any changes to the deal, like including the SAVE America Act or adding the DHS bill, would send the package back to the Senate, where Schumer and his caucus would likely reject it. 

    That would create a back-and-forth between the chambers that would further prolong what was meant to be a temporary shutdown.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    Their demands also place House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in a precarious position, given that several House Republicans want to extract concessions from congressional Democrats. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is already leading a charge to include the SAVE Act in the funding package. 

    Johnson will have to shore up any resistance among his conference, given that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made clear to the speaker that any attempt to fast-track the legislation on Monday, when the House returns, would fail.

    Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Federal government heads for weekend shutdown after Trump makes rare deal with Senate Democrats over DHS funding | Fortune

    [ad_1]

    The Senate voted Friday to fund most of the government through the end of September after President Donald Trump made a deal with Democrats to carve out Homeland Security funding and allow Congress to debate new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country.

    With a weekend shutdown looming, Trump made the rare deal with Senate Democrats on Thursday in the wake of the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. Under the agreement, the Homeland Security money will continue at current levels for two weeks while lawmakers consider Democratic demands to unmask agents, require more warrants and allow local authorities to help investigate any incidents.

    The bill passed in a 71-29 vote. It will now head to the House, which is not due back until Monday. That means the government could be in a partial shutdown temporarily over the weekend until they pass it.

    As lawmakers in both parties called for investigations into the fatal shootings by federal agents, Trump said he didn’t want a shutdown and encouraged members of both parties to cast a “much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ vote.”

    The president’s concessions to Democrats prompted pushback from some Senate Republicans, delaying the final votes and providing a preview of the coming debate over the next two weeks. In a fiery floor speech, Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina warned that Republicans should not give away too much.

    “To the Republican party, where have you been?” Graham said, adding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Border Patrol agents have been “slandered and smeared.”

    Still, some Republicans said they believe that changes to ICE’s operations were necessary, even as they were unlikely to agree to all of the Democrats’ requests.

    “I think the last couple of days have been an improvement,” said Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. “I think the rhetoric has been dialed down a little bit, in Minnesota.”

    Democrats demand change

    Irate Democrats say that they won’t vote again to fund the Department of Homeland Security until Congress puts new curbs on ICE and other federal agencies conducting the raids.

    “These are not radical demands,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. “They’re basic standards the American people already expect from law enforcement.”

    Democrats have asked the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.

    They also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.

    Alex Pretti, a 37 year-old ICU nurse, was killed by a border patrol agent on Jan. 24, two weeks after protester Renee Good was killed by an ICE officer. Administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, originally said that Pretti had aggressively approached officers, but multiple videos contradicted that claim.

    Republican pushback

    Republicans countered with their own demands, including restrictions on so-called “sanctuary cities” that they say do not do enough to enforce illegal immigration.

    “There no way in hell we’re going to let Democrats knee cap law enforcement and stop deportations in exchange for funding DHS,” said Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., ahead of the vote.

    Graham held the spending bills up until Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., agreed to give him a vote on his sanctuary cities bill at a later date.

    Separately, Graham was also protesting a repeal of a new law giving senators the ability to sue the government for millions of dollars if their personal or office data is accessed without their knowledge — as happened to him and other senators as part of the so-called Arctic Frost investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by Trump supporters at the Capitol.

    The spending bill, which was passed by the House last week, would repeal that law. But Graham said that Thune had agreed to consider a separate bill that would allow “groups and private citizens” who were caught up in Jack Smith’s probe to sue.

    Rare bipartisan talks

    The unusual bipartisan talks between Trump and Schumer, his frequent adversary, came after Pretti’s death. Schumer called it “a moment of truth.”

    The standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown, just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies. That dispute closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.

    That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans. But Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.

    Uncertainty in the House

    House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he was opposed to breaking up the funding package, but “if it is broken up, we will have to move it as quickly as possible. We can’t have the government shut down.”

    Johnson said he might have some “tough decisions” to make about when to bring the House back to Washington to approve the bills separated by the Senate.

    House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to their bill.

    “The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote Trump.

    House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that any change in the homeland bill needs to be “meaningful and it needs to be transformative.”

    Absent “dramatic change,” Jeffries said, “Republicans will get another shutdown.”

    [ad_2]

    Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press

    Source link

  • What’s holding up the funding bill after Senate Democrats struck deal with White House?

    [ad_1]


    What’s holding up the funding bill after Senate Democrats struck deal with White House? – CBS News









































    Watch CBS News



    Senate Democrats struck a deal with the White House late Thursday on a funding deal ahead of the government shutdown deadline, but the upper chamber has yet to hold a vote to pass the package. CBS News’ Nikole Killion has the latest.

    [ad_2]
    Source link

  • Trump, Schumer reach government funding deal, sacrifice DHS spending bill in the process

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Senate Democrats and the White House reached a deal to fund the government, but lawmakers aren’t out of the woods yet in averting a partial shutdown. 

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and President Donald Trump labored over a deal from late night Wednesday until Thursday evening after the top Senate Democrat unleashed several funding demands and the White House accused Schumer of blocking a meeting with rank-and-file Democrats. 

    “The separation of the five bipartisan bills the Democrats asked for + the two-week DHS [continuing resolution] has been agreed to,” Schumer said in a statement. 

    Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that the “only thing that can slow our Country down is another long and damaging Government Shutdown.” 

    SENATE GOP HOLDOUTS REFUSE TO BUDGE AS SHUTDOWN TALKS CONTINUE

    The White House and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reached an agreement to fund the government on Thursday, sidelining the controversial DHS funding bill in the process.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

    “I am working hard with Congress to ensure that we are able to fully fund the Government, without delay,” Trump said. “Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security (including the very important Coast Guard, which we are expanding and rebuilding like never before).” 

    “Hopefully, both Republicans and Democrats will give a very much-needed Bipartisan “YES” Vote,” he continued. 

    The deal brokered between the two would see the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill stripped from the broader six-bill package. Schumer and Democrats have been adamant that if the bill were sidelined, they’d vote for the remaining five, which includes funding for the Pentagon. 

    Their agreement also tees up a short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), for two weeks to keep the agency funded while lawmakers negotiate restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

    Trump and Schumer’s bipartisan truce comes after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Republicans barreled ahead with a test vote on the funding package that was ultimately torpedoed by Senate Democrats and a cohort of seven Republicans earlier in the day. 

    7 REPUBLICANS JOIN DEMS TO BLOCK MAJOR GOVERNMENT FUNDING PACKAGE AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

    Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in the Senate subway

    Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wants a vote on his amendment to strip millions in “refugee welfare money” from the funding package and may slow down the process unless GOP leadership relents.  (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

    Republicans again have the opportunity to bring the package back to the floor, but to speed up the process, they would need consent from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

    And they are still working out the kinks on their own end through the hotline process, where the package is scrutinized by every Senate Republican before being given the go-ahead for a floor vote. 

    Speedig up the process may prove tricky, given that several of the Republican defectors, including Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., were upset with earmarks baked into the bill. 

    And Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wants an amendment vote on his provision to strip the bill of millions in “refugee welfare money” and signaled that he may slow the process down if he doesn’t. 

    TENSIONS BOIL IN HOUSE OVER EMERGING SENATE DEAL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at Senate GOP leadership press conference.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teed up a key test vote on a funding package to avert a partial government shutdown as Democratic resistance threatens to thrust Washington, D.C. into chaos.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

    Many Senate Republicans recognize that stripping the DHS bill is not the best outcome but contended that it was better than not funding the government and entering into yet another shutdown.

    “That’s the only way we’re going to get through this without a long government shutdown,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said. 

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    To his point, despite lawmakers reaching an agreement that will likely see the remaining bills passed and keep DHS funded for a month, the House will have to agree. They don’t return until next week, and fiscal hawks are already publicly panning the plan.

    Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Democratic fight over DHS funding could lead to shutdown

    [ad_1]

    About two months after the last federal government shutdown ended, another funding lapse looms — this one caused by a battle between Republicans and Democrats over funding for immigration enforcement.

    Lawmakers in both parties worked collaboratively in recent weeks to extend government funding, trying to avoid any snags that could cause a new impasse after the record 43-day shutdown in fall 2025.

    Six of 12 funding bills passed both chambers and were signed by President Donald Trump in November and January. Agencies covered by these bills now have up-to-date funding streams and are not at risk of shutting down.

    Agencies funded by the other six bills, however, are now at risk of a shutdown. The fight centers around the Department of Homeland Security, but other affected funding in the bill involves defense; financial services; labor, health and human services and education; state and foreign operations; and transportation and housing and urban development.

    The House on Jan. 22 approved measures to extend funding for these remaining six bills, sending them to the Senate. (Bills like this that consolidate several spending measures are nicknamed a “minibus” — a play on “omnibus,” which typically consolidates all or nearly all 12 regular spending bills.)

    Most observers expected the Senate to quickly send the legislation to the president for his signature. That changed Jan. 24, when federal immigration enforcement agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

    An altered political environment after Pretti’s shooting death

    Pretti’s shooting happened on a weekend just before the Senate was to consider the spending bill. It inflamed existing political tensions, drawing widespread criticism of DHS’s tactics and imperiling the department’s funding, which totals $64.4 billion. 

    Senate Democrats, responding to voters’ concerns about immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis, said they would not approve DHS funding without an agreement to curb certain immigration enforcement policies.

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., laid out several elements he said were needed to secure Democratic support: Ending “roving patrols”; improving coordination with state and local law enforcement; implementing a standard code of conduct and independent investigations to enforce adherence to it; requiring agents to wear body cameras; and requiring agents not to wear masks.

    Negotiators from both parties in the Senate met this week to try to reach an agreement that would free up the spending bill for a vote. Late on Jan. 29, news reports said lawmakers struck a deal that would give negotiators time to reach a more permanent agreement, following a relatively short shutdown.

    A shutdown is likely, but its duration remains in question

    A government shutdown seems likely, but it could be brief — and therefore have a more limited impact on the public.

    The reason a shutdown is all but inevitable is the Senate cannot simply strip out the Homeland Security portions of the bill, approve the rest in a vote, and send the portions approved by both chambers to the president for his signature. Instead, the entire bill needs to be passed in both chambers before moving to the president.

    The deal announced Jan. 29 would tee up a vote to approve new spending for agencies other than homeland security, along with a measure that would extend homeland security funding for two weeks. Lawmakers would continue to negotiate immigration enforcement policies. 

    Any measure that passes the Senate would have to be passed in the House next. The House is not in session until the week of Feb. 2. 

    The best-case scenario is that the portion of the government covered by the pending bill would shut down over the weekend and into early the following week. Weekend shutdowns are generally less problematic because most government employees aren’t working; areas unaffected by a spending lapse would include agriculture, commerce, justice, science, energy and water development, the interior, the legislative branch, military construction and veterans affairs.

    Still, challenges could remain: House members from either party could be unhappy with what the Senate passed and could vote against a new Senate bill, preventing it from passing and effectively extending the shutdown.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Democrats poised to trigger government shutdown if White House won’t meet demands for ICE reform

    [ad_1]

    Senate Democrats are threatening to block legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies Thursday, potentially bringing the government a step closer to a partial shutdown if Republicans and the White House do not agree to new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.As the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, irate Senate Democrats laid out a list of demands ahead of a Thursday morning test vote, including that officers take off their masks and identify themselves and obtain warrants for arrest. If those are not met, Democrats say they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill, denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it and triggering a shutdown at midnight on Friday.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats won’t provide needed votes until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “reined in and overhauled.”“The American people support law enforcement, they support border security, they do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said.There were some signs of possible progress as the White House has appeared open to trying to strike a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown. The two sides were talking as of Wednesday evening, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity to speak about the private talks. One possible option discussed would be to strip the funding for the Homeland Security Department from the larger bill, as Schumer has requested, and extend it for a short period to allow time for negotiations, the person said. The rest of the bill would fund government agencies until September.Still, with no agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, a dispute that closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.Democrats lay out their demandsThere’s a lot of “unanimity and shared purpose” within the Democratic caucus, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said after a lunch meeting Wednesday.“Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” Smith said. “There has to be accountability.”Amid the administration’s immigration crackdown, Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.Democrats also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said, as he has pushed for the Homeland spending to be separated out to avoid a broader shutdown.Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has indicated that he might be open to considering some of the Democrats’ demands, but he encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk and find agreement.Many obstacles to a dealAs the two sides negotiated, it was still unclear whether they could agree on anything that would satisfy Democrats who want Trump’s aggressive crackdown to end.The White House had invited some Democrats for a discussion to better understand their positions and avoid a partial government shutdown, a senior White House official said, but the meeting did not happen. The official requested anonymity to discuss the private invitation.The House passed the six remaining funding bills last week and sent them to the Senate as a package, making it more difficult to strip out the homeland security portion as Democrats have demanded. Republicans could break the package apart with the consent of all 100 senators or through a series of votes that would extend past the Friday deadline.Even if the Senate can resolve the issue, House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to the bill they have passed. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the president and ICE.“The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the letter.Republican oppositionSeveral Republican senators have said they would be fine with Democrats’ request to separate the Homeland Security funds for further debate and pass the other bills in the package. But it might be more difficult to for Democrats to find broad GOP support for their demands on ICE.North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he’s OK with separating the bills, but is opposed to the Democrats’ proposal to require the immigration enforcement officers to unmask and show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation.“You know, there’s a lot of vicious people out there, and they’ll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,” Tillis said. “And that’s just the reality of the world that we’re in.”Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said that “what happened over the weekend is a tragedy,” but Democrats shouldn’t punish Americans with a shutdown and a “political stunt.”Democrats say they won’t back down.“It is truly a moral moment,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “I think we need to take a stand.”___Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    Senate Democrats are threatening to block legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies Thursday, potentially bringing the government a step closer to a partial shutdown if Republicans and the White House do not agree to new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.

    As the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, irate Senate Democrats laid out a list of demands ahead of a Thursday morning test vote, including that officers take off their masks and identify themselves and obtain warrants for arrest. If those are not met, Democrats say they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill, denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it and triggering a shutdown at midnight on Friday.

    Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats won’t provide needed votes until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “reined in and overhauled.”

    “The American people support law enforcement, they support border security, they do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said.

    There were some signs of possible progress as the White House has appeared open to trying to strike a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown. The two sides were talking as of Wednesday evening, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity to speak about the private talks. One possible option discussed would be to strip the funding for the Homeland Security Department from the larger bill, as Schumer has requested, and extend it for a short period to allow time for negotiations, the person said. The rest of the bill would fund government agencies until September.

    Still, with no agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, a dispute that closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.

    That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.

    Democrats lay out their demands

    There’s a lot of “unanimity and shared purpose” within the Democratic caucus, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said after a lunch meeting Wednesday.

    “Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” Smith said. “There has to be accountability.”

    Amid the administration’s immigration crackdown, Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.

    Democrats also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.

    The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said, as he has pushed for the Homeland spending to be separated out to avoid a broader shutdown.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has indicated that he might be open to considering some of the Democrats’ demands, but he encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk and find agreement.

    Many obstacles to a deal

    As the two sides negotiated, it was still unclear whether they could agree on anything that would satisfy Democrats who want Trump’s aggressive crackdown to end.

    The White House had invited some Democrats for a discussion to better understand their positions and avoid a partial government shutdown, a senior White House official said, but the meeting did not happen. The official requested anonymity to discuss the private invitation.

    The House passed the six remaining funding bills last week and sent them to the Senate as a package, making it more difficult to strip out the homeland security portion as Democrats have demanded. Republicans could break the package apart with the consent of all 100 senators or through a series of votes that would extend past the Friday deadline.

    Even if the Senate can resolve the issue, House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to the bill they have passed. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the president and ICE.

    “The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the letter.

    Republican opposition

    Several Republican senators have said they would be fine with Democrats’ request to separate the Homeland Security funds for further debate and pass the other bills in the package. But it might be more difficult to for Democrats to find broad GOP support for their demands on ICE.

    North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he’s OK with separating the bills, but is opposed to the Democrats’ proposal to require the immigration enforcement officers to unmask and show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation.

    “You know, there’s a lot of vicious people out there, and they’ll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,” Tillis said. “And that’s just the reality of the world that we’re in.”

    Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said that “what happened over the weekend is a tragedy,” but Democrats shouldn’t punish Americans with a shutdown and a “political stunt.”

    Democrats say they won’t back down.

    “It is truly a moral moment,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “I think we need to take a stand.”

    ___

    Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Partial federal shutdown seems increasingly likely as Democrats demand major changes to ICE

    [ad_1]

    By MARY CLARE JALONICK and KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic senators are narrowing a list of demands for changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with a partial government shutdown looming by week’s end, hoping to pressure Republicans and the White House as the country reels from the deaths of two people at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.

    Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has not yet outlined what his caucus will ask for before a crucial Thursday vote on whether to move forward with spending legislation that funds the Department of Homeland Security and a swath of other government agencies. Democrats were to meet Wednesday and discuss several possible demands, including forcing agents to have warrants and identify themselves before immigration arrests, and they have pledged to block the spending bill in response to the violence.

    “This madness, this terror must stop,” Schumer D-N.Y., said, calling for immediate changes to ICE and U.S. Border Patrol.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has said he is waiting for Democrats to outline their what they want and he suggested that they need to be talking to the White House.

    It was unclear how seriously the White House was engaged and whether the two sides could agree on anything that would appease Democrats who are irate after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti and Renee Good this month.

    With no evident negotiations underway, a partial shutdown appeared increasingly likely starting Saturday.

    [ad_2]

    The Associated Press

    Source link

  • Trump’s Latest Outrages Could Ramp Up Pressure for Another Government Shutdown

    [ad_1]

    The lights could yet go off on January 30.
    Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

    There’s a lot of conflict in Congress to begin 2026, but the odds of another government shutdown — which could happen when stopgap spending authority runs out on January 30 — have been dropping. The trigger point for the long shutdown that began in October, the deadline for extending Obamacare premium subsidies, has come and gone, and while all Democrats and some Republicans still want to resurrect them, the issue isn’t time sensitive in quite the way it was. Plus, Congress is actually making progress on regular spending bills covering agencies till the end of the year, which could make the scope of government operations vulnerable to a shutdown significantly smaller. Beyond that, midterm elections are now less than a year away, and they will provide Democrats with the most important opportunity to check Donald Trump without interrupting vital government services.

    And so, as NOTUS reports, Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have been putting out the word that January 30 will pass without too much drama:

    Days into the new year, congressional Democrats are livid over a litany of issues, including President Donald Trump’s unilateral invasion of Venezuela, stalled action on health care and, most recently, an immigration agent fatally shooting a woman in Minneapolis. But they are split on how to fight back.

    With another critical government funding deadline on Jan. 30, Democratic leaders don’t appear willing to leverage their votes for spending bills in exchange for action. In fact, they appear to be openly forecasting there won’t be a shutdown at all.

    But this mind-set was developed before Trump decapitated the Venezuelan government and asserted “control” over that country while repeating threats to attack Mexico and Colombia and acquire Greenland. And it’s also before an ICE agent shot and killed a motorist in Minneapolis and the entire Trump administration doubled down on aggressive law-enforcement deployments and treated protesters as “domestic terrorists.” Now the rage of Democratic activists at Trump is bubbling up from its steady boiling state into geysers of fury, and the last thing Democrats in Congress want is to again let them down and provoke their wrath. And a few leading Democrats are wondering if an end-of-January interruption of funding might be in order after all, suggests NOTUS:

    “We’re about to have the DHS budget before Congress,” Sen. Chris Murphy, a Senate Appropriations Committee member, said Wednesday. “And it’s clearer than ever that Democrats can’t support this budget if there aren’t constraints on the growing illegality of DHS, and it appears the lethal illegality of DHS.”

    Sen. Chris Van Hollen, another Appropriations Committee member, said that “nobody wants the government shut down,” but “it’s going to be important that Trump and his administration work on a bipartisan basis to address a lot of the issues.” He also cited the DHS budget as a point of concern.

    It’s worth remembering that funding for DHS, which supervises ICE, and for the Department of Defense (or as Trump and Pete Hegseth call it, “War”), which executes Trump’s bellicose global designs, will almost surely be included in the next stopgap spending bill that has to be passed by January 30 to keep the government humming. So it could very well be the target on multiple grounds for Democratic protests and demands both within and beyond Congress.

    As that potential choke point approaches, the mood among congressional Democrats may become a lot darker, particularly if the most recent administration outrages at home and abroad are just the beginning of many reminders that the 47th president is a dangerous would-be tyrant. Will they and “the base” remain patiently focused on the midterms? Or will Democrats feel the need to put sand in the gears of the machinery of government in the confident expectation that the party controlling Washington will get the blame for the ensuring disruptions of programs and services?

    Right now, you’d have to bet both parties will find a way to avoid another shutdown even as they gird their loins for a vicious and competitive midterm election. But if Trump continues to run wild, and his allies in Congress continue to enable him, all bets could be off until the government is refunded for the rest of the year and the campaign trail takes over.

    [ad_2]

    Ed Kilgore

    Source link

  • House passes nearly $180B funding package after conservative rebellion over Minnesota fraud fears

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    The House of Representatives has passed a federal funding package totaling nearly $180 billion, putting Congress one modest step closer to averting a government shutdown at the end of this month.

    The legislation accounts for just over $174 billion aimed at partially or fully funding the departments of departments of Commerce, Justice, Interior, and Energy, including laying out the budget for NASA, the FBI, and federal nuclear energy projects.

    It comes after the bills, originally meant to be considered as one massive piece of legislation, ran into opposition from conservative Republicans on Wednesday.

    Members of the House Freedom Caucus and others on the GOP’s right flank were incensed in particular by the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) appropriations bill, which they felt rank-and-file lawmakers did not get proper input on putting together.

    DEMOCRATS’ LAST-MINUTE MOVE TO BLOCK GOP FUNDING PLAN SENDS LAWMAKERS HOME EARLY

    Rep. Chip Roy speaks to reporters after a news conference on Capitol Hill on Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty)

    It’s one of 12 annual appropriations bills that Congress is tasked with passing each fiscal year. Congressional leaders who negotiated the legislation along bipartisan lines originally included it in a three-bill “minibus” that, when passed in the House and Senate, would mean half of those dozen bills are finished.

    Conservatives also threatened to kill the bill during a procedural vote on Wednesday afternoon over the inclusion of a community funding project requested by “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.

    The bill would have given $1,031,000 to Generation Hope’s Justice Empowerment Initiative, which “helps justice-involved Minneapolis residents break the cycle through job training and support,” according to a description of the funding request.

    But conservatives argued that the funding was just another vehicle allowing Minnesota’s Somali community to fraudulently take taxpayer funds at a time when the state is grappling with a massive fraud scandal enveloping its public service programs.

    “Fraud is running RAMPANT in Minnesota under the failed leadership of Tim Walz. Democrats want to use earmarks to funnel another $1 MILLION to a Somali-led so-called ‘Justice Empowerment Initiative’ that ABUSES taxpayer dollars,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said on X.

    CONGRESS ROLLS OUT $174B SPENDING BILL AS JAN 30 SHUTDOWN FEARS GROW

    Ilhan Omar at a congressional hearing

    Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., seen at a congressional hearing in 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    Community project funding, also known as “earmarks,” are requests that specific lawmakers make that allow their districts to directly benefit from Congress’ federal funding bills.

    “Earmarks, the currency of corruption, they’re coming back in full force in these products. And I just don’t support it,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told reporters on Wednesday morning.

    He was among the conservatives who Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., negotiated with on the House floor for nearly half an hour as the minibus was in danger of failing during a procedural vote to allow for it to be debated.

    In the end, House GOP leaders agreed to hold a separate vote on the CJS spending bill while also removing Omar’s earmark, which was also supported by Minnesota’s two Democrat senators.

    “Chalk one up for the good guys. Proud to work the last two days to stop the outrageous Ilhan Omar $1 million Somali earmark. Much more to do,” Roy posted on X.

    Rep. Ralph Norman

    Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last votes of the week on Sept. 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

    House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital that he still anticipated “a number of” his members will still vote against that bill specifically.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    The legislation passed along bipartisan lines on Thursday, with top House Appropriations Committee Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., celebrating that the bill was free of GOP “poison pills” earlier this week.

    Its funding levels are above what was originally requested by President Donald Trump but below the threshold extending former President Joe Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending levels via another continuing resolution (CR) would have brought.

    The White House has also issued a statement of support for the minibus, which will be combined back into one bill before being sent to the Senate.

    Congress has until the end of Jan. 30 to find a solution on the remaining six appropriations bills to avert another shutdown.

    Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

    Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ‘I’ll continue fighting’: Preventing another shutdown top of mind for this Virginia congressman – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    Congress will soon be back in session, and one of the first orders of business will be passing a funding bill to prevent another government shutdown.

    Congress will soon be back in session, and one of the first orders of business will be passing a funding bill to keep the government open.

    Rep. James Walkinshaw, a Democrat from Virginia, said Congress must avoid another government shutdown. The most recent shutdown, which set a record for its length, hit his constituents in Fairfax County hard, he said.

    “During the shutdown I think folks were really concerned about meeting basic needs,” Walkinshaw said.

    Walkinshaw said it was not just federal workers who struggled to make ends meet.

    “Those who were furloughed, those who received SNAP benefits or food stamps and had uncertainty around whether those were going to be continued,” he said.

    When negotiations resume for a new budget deal, Walkinshaw said he’ll push for provisions that will give people in his district peace of mind.

    “I’ll continue fighting in that budget process to get protection for federal workers, keep the government open to prevent RIF’s,” he said, referring to sweeping reductions in the federal workforce that took place in 2025.

    Congress does not have much time to work as it faces a Jan. 30 deadline for a funding bill.

    “We’ll need to pass either nine of the 12 appropriations bills or some combination of appropriations bills,” Walkinshaw said. “We’re going to be in a couple weeks sprint in January to get that done.”

    The other big issue Congress will face is high health care costs for millions of Americans who have insurance thorough the Affordable Care Act. Subsidies that lowered premiums expired on New Year’s Day.

    Walkinshaw said there is a clear solution.

    “I signed on to a discharge petition that will force a vote on a three-year extension of those tax credits,” Walkinshaw said.

    It is unclear when the vote will be held, but it is expected this month. Walkinshaw said he is frustrated the tax credits expired, but hopeful something can be passed to help people afford their health care premiums.

    [ad_2]

    Kyle Cooper

    Source link

  • Employers added 64,000 jobs in November, but the unemployment rate jumps to highest in four years

    [ad_1]

    Employers across the U.S. added 64,000 jobs in November, beating economists’ forecasts, new government data shows, even as fresh October figures revealed a loss of 105,000 jobs, a sign the labor market remains under pressure.

    The unemployment rate in November rose to 4.6%, the highest level since September 2021.

    The November employment report offers a fresh picture of the labor market after a six-week blackout in official data caused by the recent government shutdown.

    By the numbers

    Economists had forecast payroll gains of 40,000 jobs in November, according to a poll by FactSet. 

    The Labor Department on Tuesday also released partial employment data from October, which shows a loss of 105,000 jobs that month. Analysts had expected the October data might be weak, due to federal deferred resignation buyout offers, according to FactSet.

    Job growth for August and September was also revised down by a collective 33,000.

    The government’s official employment data for October and November had been delayed due to the 43-day government shutdown, which ended in last month.

    In the absence of federal data, economists at the Federal Reserve and on Wall Street had been monitoring alternative sources, which have signaled ongoing headwinds in the labor market. For instance, ADP earlier this month said private-sector employers in the U.S. cut 32,000 jobs in November, while outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas has tracked more than 1.1 million layoffs so far this year.

    Economic uncertainty has led workers to stay put and employers to pull back on hiring, creating a difficult situation for job seekers, especially those early in their careers.

    The labor market is slowly cooling, Federal Reserve Bank of New York president John C. Williams said in a speech Monday.

    “I should emphasize that this has been an ongoing, gradual process, without signs of a sharp rise in layoffs or other indications of rapid deterioration,” Williams said. But, he added, “Job growth has been anemic.”

    Edited by

    Aimee Picchi

    [ad_2]

    Source link