The chances of a partial U.S. government shutdown are rising as a deepening standoff in the Senate pits Republicans against Democrats over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, following the fatal shooting of a Minnesota man by federal immigration agents.
Tensions escalated after Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, was shot and killed in Minneapolis over the weekend. It marked the second deadly incident involving immigration enforcement officers in the city this month, intensifying Democratic opposition to funding agencies under DHS, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Senate Democrats have warned they will not support a sweeping $1.2 trillion government funding package if it includes DHS appropriations. That position threatens to derail the bill, which must pass by Friday to avoid a partial shutdown.
Despite the warnings, Senate Republican leadership has made clear they do not intend to remove DHS funding from the package. A person familiar with Republican leadership’s thinking told CNBC on Sunday that the party plans to move forward without changes, hoping Democrats ultimately back the bill to keep the government open.
Government funding expires at the end of the week, and the Senate faces a tight timeline. The bill requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, but Republicans hold only a 53–47 majority, meaning Democratic support is essential.
Democratic leaders say the recent shootings have crossed a line. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would block the bill if DHS funding remains intact, citing what he called “blatant abuses of Americans by ICE in Minnesota.” He argued that the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who was fatally shot earlier this month, demand immediate reforms.
Several Democratic and independent senators echoed that stance. Senator Angus King of Maine said he could not vote for any bill that funds ICE under current conditions, urging Republicans to split DHS funding from the broader package and negotiate accountability measures separately.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar also announced her opposition, saying Republicans must act to stop the violence. Senator Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned that withholding oversight while continuing funding sends the wrong message. She called for DHS to be removed from the bill unless meaningful reforms are included.
Republicans argue that the broader funding package is critical and includes key priorities for both parties, such as defense, health care, education, transportation, and housing programs. Some GOP lawmakers have explored whether DHS funding could be separated to salvage the rest of the deal, but no agreement has been reached.
Complicating matters further, a major snowstorm forced the Senate to cancel votes on Monday, shrinking the already narrow window to prevent a shutdown. Any changes made by the Senate would also require the House to return from recess to approve them, an uncertain prospect.
While it remains possible that enough Democrats could back the bill to avoid a shutdown, several lawmakers who previously helped end last year’s record 43-day shutdown have said they will not do so this time if DHS funding remains unchanged.
With days left before the deadline, Washington is once again staring at the possibility of a government shutdown, driven by growing outrage over immigration enforcement and a Senate locked in political deadlock.
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