President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a roughly $1.2 trillion funding package to end a brief partial government shutdown that began Saturday, while setting up a new, high-stakes clash with Congress over immigration enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS Funded Short-Term As Minneapolis Killings Loom Large
As noted in a report by the Associated Press, the bill, which cleared the House earlier in the day on a 217-214 vote after passing the Senate last week, funds 11 annual appropriations bills through Sept. 30. Homeland Security is the lone exception: its money now runs only through Feb. 13, reflecting Democratic demands for changes after federal agents fatally shot two American citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in Minneapolis last month.
The short leash creates a frantic 10-day window for negotiators to strike a DHS deal governing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has warned his caucus will not support any further stopgap funding “without substantial changes” to immigration operations, raising the specter of a department-only shutdown later this month.
Narrow House Rule Vote Exposes GOP Vulnerabilities
House Republicans earlier voted 217-215 to adopt the procedural rule that allowed the bill to come to the floor, with Democrats offering no help. A planned Monday vote slipped by a day after Democrats privately signaled they would not provide the large bloc of votes needed to fast-track the package.
The rule vote showcased the GOP’s razor-thin margin. Leaders held the tally open after Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.), unexpectedly joined Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in opposition. Rose, who has complained the Senate is dragging its feet on the SAVE Act, a GOP measure requiring proof of citizenship to vote, eventually flipped to “yes,” giving Speaker Mike Johnson just enough support to proceed.
Both Parties Claim Wins In Contentious Spending Deal
Both parties claimed wins in the broader package. Republicans avoided a giant year-end “omnibus” bill they blame for runaway spending. At the same time, Democrats beat back some of Trump’s deepest proposed cuts and added language to keep agencies from rerouting money away from programs Congress approved.
Trump hailed the measure as “a great victory for the American people.” Still, Johnson needed near-unanimous Republican backing to move it, and the final roll call saw 21 Republicans join most Democrats in voting no, while 21 Democrats crossed over to support it.
U.S. stock futures were largely unchanged on Tuesday after Trump ended the brief government shutdown. Shortly after 8 p.m. ET, futures tied to the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average gained about 0.01% and 0.03%, respectively. Futures tied to the Nasdaq edged lower by over 12 points, or less than 0.05%.
Image via Shutterstock/ Joey Sussman
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