As the fallout continues over Alex Pretti’s killing by a Border Patrol agent in Minnesota, outrage over the shooting could lead to a partial government shutdown. Senate Democrats are refusing to provide more funding to the agencies that have stirred chaos in Minnesota, as time grows short to approve a budget for key parts of the federal government.
Democratic outrage over Alex Pretti’s killing threatens a budget bill with Homeland Security funding
The U.S. Senate has until Friday to reach a deal on a new budget to avoid a partial government shutdown as funding runs out for several departments. A budget that includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which operates Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other components, narrowly passed the House of Representatives last week, with a handful of Democrats voting with Republicans on the bill. Since then, however, Pretti’s killing on Saturday has added to opposition to the immigration enforcement agencies and their heavy-handed tactics in cities such as Minneapolis.
Now, Senate Democrats are declaring their opposition to any funding bill that includes DHS funding. One former Senate Democrat told The Hill that the chances of a shutdown had risen to around 90% due to Democratic opposition following Pretti’s death. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York posted on social media that “because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE. I will vote no.” Schumer also declared, “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.”
Obstacles make a funding deal less likely
Last year’s government shutdown ended after a handful of moderate Democratic and independent senators broke with the Democratic caucus to support a Republican deal. One, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, declared on CBS’ Face the Nation, “I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances,” arguing that Republicans could “separate the five other appropriation bills” from the DHS bill and then “put some guardrails on what’s going on, some accountability” concerning ICE.
However, a solution like the one King suggested faces several hurdles. Senate Republicans would have to agree to separate DHS funding from other departments’ budgets, and the GOP may be unwilling to split the funding bill. Any changes to the bill would also have to be approved by the House, which went into recess after passing its funding bill. It’s unclear if Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson would reconvene the House to vote on a new bill this week. Additionally, the severe winter weather sweeping the country has caused the Senate to cancel deliberations for Monday, shortening the window for debate before Friday’s deadline. Last year’s budget deal included full-year funding for several departments, including Agriculture, Commerce, Interior and Justice, and these would not be directly impacted if Congress fails to reach a deal this week. However, spending for other departments such as Defense, Health and Human Services and State, in addition to funding for Homeland Security, will run out on Friday without a deal.
The stakes for this week’s budget negotiations are high. The outcome of this debate will determine whether several key government departments and programs will remain functional past the end of the week or if parts of the federal government will shut down again. The debate is an important step in potentially enforcing accountability and reform for agencies like ICE and Border Patrol after yet another American citizen has been killed in an encounter with agents.
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