The wheels are coming off in Washington, and this time the spark that could send the federal government into another shutdown is a shooting death in Minneapolis that has Democrats drawing a line in the sand.
Senate Democrats made clear over the weekend they will not support legislation funding the federal government through the end of the fiscal year. Their objection centers on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, the agency overseeing Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A CBP agent shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, while ICE agents were involved in the shooting of Renee Good.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer put the matter plainly. After their son was killed in broad daylight, the family now faces the additional burden of defending him against what Schumer characterized as administration lies. Senate Democrats, he said, stand united in rejecting the DHS spending bill.
The timing could hardly be worse for those hoping to avoid a government shutdown. The House already passed its spending measures before members scattered ahead of a major snowstorm bearing down on the capital. Reports indicate the House is unlikely to reconvene in time to prevent a partial shutdown, even if the Senate manages to hammer out an agreement.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada did not mince words in her assessment of the situation. The Trump administration and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are deploying undertrained and combative federal agents onto American streets with insufficient accountability, she said. These agents are oppressing Americans and finding themselves at odds with local law enforcement. This is not about keeping Americans safe, Cortez Masto argued, but about brutalizing citizens and law-abiding immigrants.
The practical impact of a shutdown on CBP and ICE operations remains unclear. Much of the president’s immigration agenda received funding through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, money that would continue flowing regardless of a shutdown. The nation endured its largest federal government shutdown last year, a 43-day standoff over Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Meanwhile, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino is demanding testimony from CBP, ICE, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The New York Republican sent letters Saturday requesting hearings on border security and immigration enforcement for February or March.
The controversy extends deep into Minnesota, where Homeland Security’s Operation Metro Surge has produced thousands of arrests of individuals in the country illegally. The operation has also sparked fierce clashes with anti-ICE protesters and drawn sharp criticism from state Democrats.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz posted a defiant message Saturday night. Those behind the operation believe they can provoke Minnesotans into abandoning their values, but they are mistaken, Walz wrote. The state will keep the peace, secure justice for its neighbors, and see what he termed an occupation come to an end.
The Trump administration fired back, calling on Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to lower the temperature. Secretary Noem delivered a pointed message at a Saturday press conference. The Minnesota governor and the Minneapolis mayor need to take a long, hard look in the mirror, she said, and evaluate their rhetoric and conversations.
Washington now faces a familiar crisis with a new catalyst. The question is whether cooler heads will prevail before the government goes dark once again.
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