The United States appeared headed for a partial government shutdown on Thursday after Senate Democrats blocked a crucial vote to keep federal agencies funded, deepening a confrontation with the White House over President Donald Trump’s tough immigration policies.
The failed vote stalled a six-bill spending package meant to finance more than three-quarters of the federal government. Without a resolution, a shutdown is expected to begin after midnight on Saturday.
Although senators were expected to attempt a second vote on a revised package, any agreement would still need approval from the House of Representatives, which is not scheduled to return from recess until Monday—well after the funding deadline. Under congressional procedure, both chambers must pass identical legislation before it can be enacted.
If confirmed, the shutdown would be the second since Trump assumed office a year ago. Lawmakers, however, expressed hope that any closure could be limited to the weekend, unlike last year’s 43-day shutdown, the longest in US history.
Democrats had earlier vowed to block the spending package unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security was removed and renegotiated to impose tighter restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the country’s most heavily funded law enforcement agency.
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused ICE of abuses, insisting that Congress had a responsibility to intervene. He later disclosed that the White House had agreed to a temporary framework addressing some Democratic concerns over the DHS budget, though US media reported that a vote on the proposal had been pushed to Friday.
President Trump called on lawmakers from both parties to support the deal, urging a bipartisan approval in a social media post.
A prolonged shutdown could place hundreds of thousands of federal workers on unpaid leave or force them to work without pay, with ripple effects likely to spread across the broader economy.
The standoff has been intensified by public anger over immigration enforcement at a politically sensitive time, as the dispute unfolds in a midterm election year in which all seats in the House of Representatives and about one-third of the Senate are up for election.
Tensions escalated following the fatal shooting of two protesters during immigration enforcement operations. The most recent incident occurred in Minneapolis, where Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse documenting a deportation operation, was shot dead by federal border agents. The killing followed the death of another activist, Renee Good, who was fatally shot by immigration officers weeks earlier.
The incidents derailed what had been a fragile bipartisan agreement on funding and shifted congressional focus to the conduct of immigration agents under the administration’s crackdown.
Democrats said they were ready to immediately pass the remaining five spending bills covering areas such as defence, health, education, transportation and financial services, while pressing for major changes to the DHS bill.
They are seeking new measures to curb ICE operations, including ending roving patrols, tightening warrant requirements, introducing a universal use-of-force code, banning officers from wearing masks, mandating body cameras and requiring visible identification.
The White House proposal does not include those provisions, instead allowing lawmakers two weeks to renegotiate DHS funding before the department faces a separate shutdown.
Lawmakers from both parties have warned that a lapse in DHS funding could severely affect agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, particularly as harsh winter conditions affect large parts of the country.
