Bipartisan vote funds most federal agencies through September, while a looming Feb. 13 deadline sets up a high-stakes showdown over immigration enforcement and DHS oversight.
Washington moved swiftly Tuesday to end the federal government’s second shutdown in four months, approving a sweeping $1.2 trillion spending package that restores funding to nearly all agencies through the end of the fiscal year. The legislation, which passed the House 217–214 with bipartisan support, now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature, expected within hours.
Yet the deal’s most consequential fight lies ahead. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—which oversees the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and immigration enforcement arms—was extended only through next week, setting the stage for another potential lapse unless Congress reaches agreement by Feb. 13.
Democrats are withholding support for longer-term DHS funding, demanding new constraints on immigration enforcement following the fatal shootings last month of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota involving federal agents. The impasse centers on curbing the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agencies Democrats say have operated with insufficient oversight.“We have a list that we want done, and we aren’t settling for half-measures,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, warning that Republican leaders John Thune and Mike Johnson would have to explain any new shutdown to voters if talks fail.
