The federal government entered a partial shutdown early Saturday with no end in sight after Congress failed to fund the Department of Homeland Security over stalled negotiations on immigration enforcement.
Without an immediate off-ramp and lawmakers now on recess until the last week of February, the DHS and its umbrella agencies could be shuttered for at least several weeks as Democrats hold firm on demands to unmask federal immigration agents and require judicial warrants for deportations.
While it could take weeks to feel the brunt of a shutdown that will eventually affect everything from disaster relief to airport security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency at the center of the funding brawl, remains flush with money from President Donald Trump’s tax law passed last year.
“We’re not close,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said of talks between Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and the White House on ICE restrictions. “If it comes together in the next few days, obviously, we’ve made it clear to [senators] that they have to be available to come back and vote.”
Thune’s Democratic counterpart, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), placed blame on Republicans and the White House.
“We’re waiting on the White House to get serious and Republicans to get serious,” he said.
WHY IT COULD TAKE WEEKS TO FEEL THE BRUNT OF A DHS SHUTDOWN
Using their filibuster powers, Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a House-passed funding measure to fund the DHS through September at current spending levels. Affected DHS agencies by the partial shutdown beyond those handling immigration enforcement include the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service.
The shutdown marks the third under Trump’s second term.
