Top Senate Democrats will oppose a funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security after the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by a Border Patrol agent, raising the specter of a partial government shutdown.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a social media post in the wake of the shooting that Senate Democrats would not provide the votes to proceed on the appropriations bill “if the DHS funding bill is included.”
“Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE,” Schumer said.
Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, who voted with Republicans to reopen the government last year, said earlier Saturday they would vote against the funding bill and called for more reforms to DHS and ICE.
Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, widely expected to become the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia also said they would not vote to fund DHS.
Earlier this week, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, another Democrat who voted last year to end the longest government shutdown, said in a statement that the funding measure shouldn’t pass “without significant amendment,” calling for “effective safeguards against ICE operations.”
The Senate faces a Friday midnight deadline to pass the funding bill and avoid the government going into a partial shutdown. The funding package will need 60 votes to advance.
With a 53 seat-majority, Senate Republicans will need at least eight Democrats to vote to advance the measure as GOP Sen. Rand Paul is likely to vote against the bill.
Other agencies that would shut down include the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
This post has been updated with additional developments.
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