Washington, Feb 13 (.) A partial US government shutdown is looking more likely than ever, and poised to begin at midnight after the Senate failed to advance legislation over the funding of for the Department of Homeland Security, deepening an already intense standoff between GOP and Democrat lawmakers over the country’s current immigration enforcement reforms.
In a 52-47 procedural vote, all but one Democrat Senator, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, opposed forwarding the bill, which would have greenlit the additional funding for DHS through September. Needing over 60 votes to advance, Senate Majority leader John Thune reportedly voted against the measure in a procedural move, enabling him to bring it up again later, reports CBS News.
Funding for DHS is set to lapse at 12am (local time) Saturday. While a shutdown would affect several parts of the department, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection) are expected to continue operating, having received billions of dollars in separate funding last year.
The deadlock between the two parties comes amid escalating tensions over the conduct of federal immigration agencies, particularly ICE, which has garnered heavy notoriety.
According to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrats blocked the bill because it “fails to make any progress on reining in ICE and stopping the violence.”
Democrat lawmakers have repeatedly demanded significant changes to the Trump administration’s extremely heavy-handed immigration enforcement practices, including limits on the use of masks by agents, increased transparency by through mandatory requirements for visible identification and body cameras, restrictions on operations at sensitive locations such as schools and hospitals, and tighter standards for governing the use of force.
The dispute intensified following last month’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by immigration agents, an incident that has galvanised Democratic calls for greater oversight, and led t massive public outrage, triggering an all out Congressional hearing against the heads of all three immigration agencies earlier this month.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said his preliminary assessment of the White House’s most recent proposal “falls short of the type of dramatic changes necessary” to address what Democrats have termed “out-of-control” enforcement practices of the immigration authorities.
After the failed vote, Senator Katie Britt of Alabama sought to pass a two-week funding extension by unanimous consent, arguing that negotiators were working in good faith and needed additional time.
“Two weeks ago, we agreed to extend funding while we talked and tried to find a pathway forward,” Britt said. “What we’re asking is, let us continue to do that.” Her request was blocked by Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, who said the department was “out of control” and that Democrats could not support continued funding without meaningful reforms.
President Donald Trump acknowledged that some Democratic demands were “very, very hard to approve,” while Thune told reporters he believed the White House offer was “pretty close” to reaching an agreement zone and that it was now up to Democrats to respond.
If funding lapses, all agencies overseen by the DHS — including the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Transportation Security Administration — would be adversely affected, though essential services would continue unaffected.
The current impasse follows a four-day partial shutdown which triggered earlier this month, following which lawmakers agreed to fund all other government agencies through the end of the fiscal year while temporarily extending DHS funding to allow further negotiations.
Senators are scheduled to leave Washington for recess next week, and Thune said he saw little value in keeping them in session while talks continue.
He added that lawmakers could return within 24 hours if a breakthrough is reached. Schumer said Democratic negotiators would remain available “24/7” once Republicans and the White House were ready to “get serious.”
With no deal currently in sight and the clock ticking towards the deadline, the standoff has once again pushed Congress to the brink, raising fresh uncertainty over federal funding and the future direction of US immigration policy, as the DHS is facing the looming threat of another partial shutdown.
. . PRS
