House passes funding package to end partial government shutdown
The Republican-led House on Tuesday voted to pass the government funding package to end the partial shutdown.
The measure, which received some bipartisan support, passed with a vote 217-214. It now heads to President Donald Trump's desk for signature.
The measure provides funding for the Pentagon, Education, Treasury, Labor and State departments through the end of the fiscal year. The bill also includes a two-week short-term measure to keep Department of Homeland Security funded through the end of next week.
Lawmakers in both chambers, who remain far apart on immigration enforcement reform, have until Feb. 13 to negotiate a deal to keep DHS funded. If a deal is not reached and passed in both chambers by then, DHS would then shut down.
The TSA, Coast Guard, Customs and Border Patrol, U.S. Secret Service, CISA and FEMA would be impacted even though lawmakers' focus is on Immigration and Customs Enforcement reform. ICE operations would not be impacted after it received $75 billion in separate funding from the already-passed "Big Beautiful Bill."
Earlier -- after some drama and delay -- the House passed a key procedural hurdle that set up the later vote, with Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky as the only no vote along with all Democrats.
The vote was held open for about 45 minutes as several Republicans held out on casting their votes. Republican leaders ultimately worked the holdouts to secure enough votes to advance the package.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who faces an incredibly tight margin, could only afford to lose one Republican vote with all members present and voting.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and House Democratic leaders voted against the package that passed Tuesday afternoon -- a deal that was negotiated by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House.
The agreement separated DHS funding bill from five others funding other agencies for the rest of the fiscal year, and grants two weeks of extended DHS funding to negotiate Democratic demands for restrictions on ICE amid its immigration enforcement operation, including requiring agents to wear body cameras turned on and to not wear masks.
The funding fight over DHS erupted in the aftermath of the death of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, who was killed in a shooting involving federal law enforcement in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.
Jeffries told Johnson over the weekend that Democrats would not help Republicans expedite the funding package.
Meanwhile, hard-line Republicans also threatened to hold the package up in hopes of attaching an unrelated bill that would require a proof of citizenship in federal elections known as the SAVE Act. Though some hard-liners, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Tim Burchett, had backed down on their demands.
