The deal, if passed by Congress, extends funding for two weeks for the Department of Homeland Security that oversees the administration's immigration operations that have sparked so much controversy after the death of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota.
President Donald Trump has blessed an emerging deal to stave off a partial government shutdown at 12:00 a.m. Saturday, handing Democrats a potential victory in their fight to clamp down on federal immigration agents they say are breaking the law and sewing chaos in American cities.
Senate Republican leaders were circulating the deal among senators, according to two sources familiar with the matter. It provides for the passage of five spending bills covering a full year, and temporarily funds the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks while lawmakers continue negotiating.
If agreed to, the Senate could approve the deal as early as Thursday night. But the compromise would still require passage by the House, meaning there could still be a shutdown, albeit of shorter length......
Schumer had urged Republicans to pass five of the six bills, while keeping negotiations going on policy changes at federal immigration agencies. Some Republicans, feeling pressure after federal officers shot and killed 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, said it would be a good idea to decouple Homeland Security talks from the rest of the funding package. In addition to DHS, the larger package supported the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury and others.
Schumer and Democrats had demanded serious changes to how Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts itself. ICE is part of DHS, along with the Customs and Border Protection agency. Agents from those entities were responsible for fatal shootings of Renee Good and Pretti, both American citizens, this month in Minnesota.
Thank you Senator Schumer
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