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Senators Say DHS Funding Bill Could Prevent or Trigger Partial Government Shutdown as Democrats Object
Summary
Unidentified speakers debated a House-passed DHS funding package that sponsors say would complete all 12 appropriations if enacted; Democrats have objected and negotiators signaled talks are needed to avoid a shutdown.
Unidentified Speaker 1 said the House has passed a package that, if the Senate picks it up and it is signed by the president, would fund all 12 annual appropriations bills this year.
“That being said, the Democrats have objected,” Speaker 1 said, noting the DHS funding bill both reduces proposed spending on ICE compared with a continuing resolution and includes reforms Democrats requested: “It also has important reforms that Democrats have requested, including, body cameras, about $20,000,000 in there for that, a couple million dollars in there for de escalation training.” He added the bill funds FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard and CISA, which handles cybersecurity.
Republican Speaker 2 accused Democrats of threatening a shutdown and said the consequences would reach agencies the public relies on, including FEMA during severe-weather events. “Democrats are once again threatening to shut down the government, and Democrats are once again prioritizing illegal immigrants over American safety and American citizens,” Speaker 2 said.
Speaker 1 stressed the urgency of avoiding any shutdown and urged keeping the six-bill House package intact so it can be sent to the president rather than returning to the House for further amendment. He said the package passed the House with 341 votes—“almost 80% of the House of Representatives”—and urged the parties to negotiate over specific Democratic requests so the government can be funded without delay.
The senators discussed possible partial measures as hypotheticals but Speaker 1 said his preferred path was to send the House-passed package to the president. He warned that sending altered bills back to the House could create delay and heighten the risk of a shutdown, and noted the practical harm a shutdown can cause to federal services.
The session included questions about whether some federal workers might receive a paycheck during a partial shutdown because of pay-period timing, but Speaker 1 said uncertainty about future pay is still a major concern and cited a prior 43-day shutdown as a reason to avoid repeating similar disruption.
The meeting ended without a recorded vote on the package; speakers said negotiations with Democrats and the White House would determine whether the House-passed bills move forward.
