Government Shutdown Looms as Senate Scrambles to Address Immigration Enforcement
Washington, D.C. — A partial government shutdown appeared increasingly likely Thursday evening as the Senate struggled to pass a spending deal amid disagreements over immigration enforcement tactics. The looming shutdown arrives amid high-profile incidents involving federal agents across the country, including two recent killings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, according to Time.
The Senate reached an agreement to vote on five appropriations bills before the weekend to prevent large swaths of the government from enduring a shutdown, according to sources familiar with the agreement who were not authorized to discuss details publicly, NPR reported. However, they will not vote on funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
The debate revolves around immigration enforcement, amid high-profile incidents involving federal agents across the country. Democrats are seeking to reform the Department of Homeland Security, and some Republicans are open to their demands, according to NPR.
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, White House border czar Tom Homan announced plans to reduce the number of federal immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota. Homan, speaking at a press conference Thursday, said the federal government is working on a plan to "draw down" ICE and CBP operations in Minnesota, NPR reported. President Trump announced Homan would take over the lead of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota after federal agents shot and killed a second U.S. citizen during Operation Metro Surge.
The potential shutdown follows a previous government shutdown from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, the longest in U.S. history, which left hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed, flights disrupted, and states' food aid threatened, Time reported.
Adding to the financial strain, a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that President Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to multiple U.S. cities since June has cost taxpayers nearly $500 million, Time reported. The deployments, which included Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Memphis, Portland, Chicago, and New Orleans, have faced legal backlash and sparked outrage from local and state leaders, as well as residents.
The Senate still needs to vote on the plan announced by Senate Democrats, and then the House, which is in recess until Monday, needs to vote, NPR reported. The coming days will determine whether a shutdown can be averted and how the debate over immigration enforcement will be resolved.
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