Washington — The Senate agreed Thursday to move forward with a government funding package while negotiations continue over reforms to immigration enforcement in the wake of last weekend’s fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis, a Senate Democratic source told CBS News — though the deal hit a snag as at least one Republican senator pushed back.
Under the deal, lawmakers plan to remove a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security from a broader package of six spending bills covering other parts of the government, including Pentagon, the State Department and a litany of other agencies. Funding for DHS would then be extended at current levels for two weeks, the source said.
Funding is set to lapse at 12 a.m. Saturday for the parts of the government funded by the six appropriations bills. With the agreement, senators were hopeful they could move quickly to pass the funding measures ahead of the deadline.
The House — which must approve the changes to the package — isn’t set to return to Washington until Monday, meaning a lapse in funding is likely to occur. But because most of the government remains closed over the weekend, a short-term funding lapse could have minimal effects — and the Office of Management and Budget may opt not to order a partial government shutdown at all.
President Trump quickly announced his support for the agreement and called on lawmakers to pass it.
“Hopefully, both Republicans and Democrats will give a very much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ Vote,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
But the deal faced new uncertainty late Thursday as Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters he was opposed to the agreement. After leaving a meeting in Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s office, Graham pointed to heated criticism of federal immigration agents as Democrats push for changes to enforcement practices, saying: “I’ve never been more offended than I am right now of what’s being said about these folks.”
Graham’s opposition could prevent Senate leadership from quickly moving forward through unanimous consent.
“This is a bad deal,” Graham said.
Lawmakers left the Capitol without voting Thursday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters the bill was held up by Graham, saying of Senate Republicans: “They need to get their act together.”
Asked about Graham’s concerns, Thune said: “I hope we can get these issues resolved. Right now, we’ve got snags on both sides, but tomorrow’s another day.”
The original six-bill package was expected to easily pass the upper chamber before Customs and Border Protection agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minnesota last weekend. Democrats had since been unwilling to support the package if it included the Homeland Security bill, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, unless reforms to the agencies were made.
The deal came together after Democrats blocked the initial six-bill package from advancing Thursday morning, joined by a number of Republicans who bucked their leadership to air grievances with the package or the emerging deal with Democrats.
Among the final sticking points on Thursday was the length of a continuing resolution to keep DHS funded, multiple senators said. While Democrats sought a two-week extension, looking for a quick resolution, Republicans pushed for an extension up to six weeks. The extension is aimed at giving negotiators enough time to craft a new funding measure with Democrats’ reforms.
“The two-week CR probably means we’d need another two-week CR and maybe another two-week CR after that,” Thune said earlier Thursday, referring to a continuing resolution. “I don’t know why they’re doing it that way.”
The resolution to the impasse began to emerge after Schumer outlined Democrats’ demands for reforms to immigration enforcement Wednesday. Among the demands, according to Schumer: An end to roving patrols, changes to the rules governing the use of warrants to target migrants and for federal agents to take their masks off and wear body cameras. Democrats are also pushing for a uniform code of conduct and accountability to hold federal agents to the same use-of-force policies as state and local law enforcement.
While Thursday’s deal does not secure an agreement on the reforms themselves, it gives negotiators time to work toward a compromise on the issue.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, told CBS News the bill to fund DHS for this fiscal year “will be considered at a separate occasion.”
“In the meantime, negotiations will start to change the way ICE is operating and the Department of Homeland Security is operating in Minnesota and across the country,” Durbin said on “The Takeout with Major Garrett.”
Graham told reporters Thursday he is open to reforms to ICE, but he’s worried agents are being “demonized” and “spat upon,” and he views the root problem as Democratic policies.
“Are they right to want to change some ICE procedures? Absolutely. But I’m not going to lead this debate for two weeks until I can explain to the American people what I think the problem is,” said Graham.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said “we’re trying to figure all that out” when asked about the lower chamber’s plans Thursday night.
The funding measures could face hurdles in the House, especially with Johnson’s razor-thin majority.
House Republicans were scheduled to hold a conference call at 11 a.m. Eastern Time Friday, two sources familiar with the planning told CBS News.
