On Tuesday, February 3, the Republican-dominated House moved to advance funding to end the partial government shutdown. The measure received some bipartisan support and was passed with a vote of 217-214, according to ABC. Providing funding for the Pentagon, Education, Treasury, Labor, and State departments through the end of the fiscal year, this bill most notably provides the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with funding through two more weeks.
Lawmakers in both chambers have until Friday, February 13 to negotiate a deal to keep the DHS funded. BBC explains that Democrats are demanding restrictions on federal law enforcement, most specifically Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), given the fatal shootings in Minnesota. The DHS contains various subsidiary agencies, including Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and most notably ICE.
As shown in a PBS news report, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated, “This is a big priority for not just House Republicans, but for the American people…but I suspect that some of the changes, the procedural modifications with ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be codified. I mean, they have said that they’re willing to do some of this, and so we will see how it comes out.”
The potential willingness to codify is exactly what Democrats want. This issue will continue to be a subject of debate in the coming days.
