The U.S. is on the verge of a partial government shutdown by the end of the month after federal immigration agents killed another U.S. citizen in Minnesota on Saturday, January 24, 2026. The Senate is scheduled to vote this week on a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which the House passed as a $1.2 trillion package. However, the shooting of Alex Pretti is expected to obstruct the Democratic vote unless the DHS funds are removed.
DHS Funding Bill
Senator Angus King, an independent in Maine, who contributed during the longest government shutdown in American history last year, said, “I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances.” He voted consistently to reopen the government during the last 43-day shutdown, so his stance in the current situation is significant in the probability of another one.
“Take up DHS by itself, let’s have an honest negotiation, put some guardrails on what’s going on, some accountability, and that would solve this problem. We don’t have to have a shutdown,” he said.
The House of Representatives, which left Washington, D.C., last week for a scheduled recess after passing the bill, is expected to return if the Senate makes any changes they need to approve before the January 30 deadline. Senate Democrats have threatened that they will tank the funding measure if the DHS is included. “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
To pass the funding package, 60 votes are needed in the Senate to overcome the filibuster. As of right now, the Republicans hold a 53-47 vote majority, so they need Democratic support, and two of the 47 are independents who caucus with Democrats. Some are already in opposition to the funding package, which includes the departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Education, State, and Treasury, in addition to DHS.
Opposing DHS Funding
Pretti’s death has greatly impacted the nation and the communities fighting against the presence of ICE agents. Government officials are standing with their constituents and saying, “No, I am not voting for this funding,” said Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. “Our Republican colleagues have to stand up and stop this.”
Others have also stated they oppose the funding measure if DHS is included. Senator Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned that the “suggestion that a shutdown in this moment might curb the lawlessness of this administration is not rooted in reality.”
“Federal agents cannot murder people in broad daylight and face zero consequences. I will NOT support the DHS bill as it stands. The DHS bill needs to be split off from the larger funding package before the Senate—Republicans must work with us to do that. I will continue fighting to rein in DHS and ICE,” she wrote on X.
It is unclear if the Senate can split the funding bill so that the DHS portion is separate from the rest to minimize a partial shutdown. The House passed it separately from the others, but they were all sent together into one, so Republicans will have to support separating it to pass it as such. Democrats may still side with the Republican majority to pass the bill and avoid a shutdown, but it is not popular given the nation’s current situation.
Some joined the Republicans in the last government shutdown, ending a record-breaking 43-day-long mess. However, even those Democrats said they will not support this current funding bill if it includes DHS.
“Let’s pass the remaining five bipartisan bills and fund essential agencies while we continue to fight for a Department of Homeland Security that respects Americans’ constitutional rights and preserves federal law enforcement’s essential role to keep us safe,” Senator Catherine Cortez Masto said, because “I will not support the current Homeland Security funding bill.”
