Trump and Senate Democrats Agree Deal—but Shutdown Still Looms

President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats agreed on a deal Thursday evening to try to avert a looming government shutdown, but whether the deal will pass in the Senate and then the House remains uncertain. With federal funding set to lapse at midnight Friday, at least a partial shutdown appears likely. The government most recently shut down from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12—the longest in U.S. history and which left hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed, flights disrupted across the country, and states’ food aid threatened—before Democrats relented on healthcare demands. The current debate revolves around immigration enforcement, amid high-profile incidents involving federal agents across the country, including two recent killings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Read More: ​​If The Government Shuts Down Again, How Could You Be Impacted? “America is setting Records in every way, and our Growth Numbers are among the best ever. The only thing that can slow our Country down is another long and damaging Government Shutdown,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Thursday evening after agreeing on a path forward. “Hopefully, both Republicans and Democrats will give a very much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ Vote,” Trump added. The compromise would involve passing five spending bills to fund large swaths of the government for the rest of the fiscal year along with a two-week, stopgap funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security, to buy time for further negotiations about reining in the Administration’s aggressive and opaque immigration enforcement. About DHS disagreements, the White House said in a statement that it “looks forward to working with the Congress to quickly resolve outstanding issues in a manner that preserves Administration priorities.” The deal took shape after Senate Democrats on Thursday afternoon unanimously blocked the broader spending package in a 45-to-55 procedural vote, denying it the 60 votes needed to advance. “This is a moment of truth,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D, N.Y.) said earlier Thursday. “Congress must act to rein in ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and end the violence.” But late Thursday, a vote on the compromise package remained elusive. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R, S.C.) reportedly stormed into Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R, S.D.) office, putting a hold on the package, which Graham reportedly called a “bad deal.” The Senate officially adjourned Thursday night without a vote and will return Friday morning to try to pass the deal, as Schumer reportedly remarked that the “Republicans need to get their act together.” In negotiations with the White House that began Wednesday, Schumer and other Democratic leaders pressed for a series of policy changes they want attached to any long-term funding for DHS. Those demands include banning immigration officers from wearing masks, requiring body cameras and visible identification, tightening warrant requirements, ending roving patrols, and holding federal agents to the same use-of-force standards as state and local police. Democrats have also called for independent investigations into the recent shootings. Republicans resisted many of those proposals, arguing they could endanger officers or undermine enforcement. Still, with the deadline looming, both sides signaled openness to a temporary compromise. A continuing resolution to fund DHS until Feb. 13, designed to keep negotiations moving without locking in policy outcomes, is shorter than what Republicans preferred. However, even without new funding, DHS would continue many operations, including immigration enforcement, drawing on money provided in Trump’s sweeping domestic policy law passed last summer. Even if the deal comes to pass in the Senate, it must then pass in the House, where Republicans hold a slim 218-213 majority. Some House Republicans have already suggested they would seek to attach their own policy priorities if the revised bill returns to the chamber, a move that could complicate or delay final passage. The House is also currently in recess, though GOP leadership is reportedly considering calling members back on Sunday. As for House Democrats, Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D, N.Y.) said on Thursday that his caucus was aligned with their Senate counterparts on the need for restrictions on immigration enforcement, but he stopped short of endorsing any specific deal. He said House Democrats would “evaluate whatever bill comes over to us on its merit.”