Even though the bill passed in the Senate, it still needs approval from the House, which won't be back in session until Monday. This could mean the government will be partially shutdown temporarily through the weekend until the House can vote on the legislation.
The Senate voted on Friday to pass a bill that would fund most of the government through the end of September after President Donald Trump made a deal with Democrats to carve out funding specifically for the Department of Homeland Security.
The bill passed in a 71-29 vote. Under the agreement, the Homeland Security money will continue at current levels for two weeks while lawmakers consider Democratic demands to unmask agents, require more warrants and allow local authorities to help investigate any incidents.It will now head to the House, which is not due back until Monday. That means the government could be in a partial shutdown temporarily over the weekend until they pass it.Democrats have threatened to block an entire government spending bill and trigger a shutdown if Congress and Trump don’t agree to new restrictions on the president’s aggressive immigration crackdown. The standoff started in the wake of the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.Democrats have laid out several demands, asking the White House to "end roving patrols" in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.RELATED: DOJ launches civil rights investigation in Alex Pretti's deathThey also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Democrats said agents should be required to have "masks off, body cameras on" and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.After eight Republicans joined Senate Democrats in blocking the spending bill Thursday, Trump said Democrats later agreed to separate funding for the Department of Homeland Security and give Congress two weeks to debate the issue. What they’re saying: Trump said he didn't want a government shutdown and encouraged members of both parties to cast a "much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ vote." But the Senate hasn’t passed the separate spending package as of Friday afternoon. Republican senators have pushed back and said they’ll block the deal, for now, warning that Republicans should not give away too much leverage on the border issue.If the House passes a spending bill Monday, the impacts of a partial shutdown would likely be minimal and not lead to widespread interruptions or missed paychecks for government employees. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said "we will have to move it as quickly as possible. We can’t have the government shut down."The Trump administration is expected to issue guidance to federal agencies on how to proceed.If the country has another shutdown, it would come just two months after a dispute over federal health care subsidies that closed the government for a record 43 days.Fallout from that shutdown landed on millions of Americans, including federal workers who went without paychecks and travelers who had their flights delayed or canceled. An interruption in nutrition assistance programs contributed to long lines at food banks and added emotional distress going into the holiday season. The last shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more united this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.Several Republicans said that after those shootings, they were open to new restrictions, but finding enough common ground for a final agreement will be an uphill battle.
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