WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan spending package on Friday that temporarily extends funding for the Department of Homeland Security while negotiations continue over restraints on federal immigration agents who have sparked widespread outcry in Minnesota and elsewhere around the country.
The deal, which was negotiated by Democratic leadership and President Donald Trump, would give Congress two more weeks to hash out restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol, two agencies spearheading Trump’s controversial nationwide crackdown on immigrants. Democrats demanded key reforms to ICE and CBP after two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minnesota earlier this month.
Other parts of government would be fully funded until September under the bipartisan agreement, avoiding another prolonged government shutdown. They include the Labor Department, Health and Human Services Department, State Department, Education Department, Transportation Department, Defense Department, and Housing and Urban Development Department.
However, a temporary lapse in government funding still won’t be avoided this weekend, lasting potentially into early next week, because another vote will be required to approve the package in the House, which is expected to return on Monday. The effects of the shutdown won’t be felt as widely over the weekend since many federal workers don’t go back to work until Monday, as well.
