Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Saturday evening that Democrats would “not provide the votes” for a government funding bill this week if appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security are included without new guidelines for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The statement comes after federal agents earlier in the day shot and killed a Minneapolis man, identified as 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was filming their activities.
“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling — and unacceptable in any American city,” he said in a statement. “Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE. I will vote no.”
“Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included,” he said.
It will take 60 votes for the funding legislation to clear the Senate; Republicans hold 53 seats, and would need help from seven Democrats to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Schumer’s statement came after a day that saw a growing number of Democrats go on record opposing the appropriations bill, which would keep funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement steady. The list of those now on the record opposing the current funding bill, which would have to pass by Jan. 30 to avoid a partial government shutdown, grew Saturday to include many senators who voted with Republicans to open the government in November, ending the previous government shutdown.
“I’ll be voting against any government funding package that contains the bill that funds this agency, until we have guardrails in place to curtail these abuses of power and ensure more accountability and transparency,” wrote Jackie Rosen (D-NV), one of the eight senators who joined with Republicans in November to open the government, on Saturday afternoon.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), another of the eight, also said Saturday she would oppose the DHS funding bill. “This is clearly not about keeping Americans safe, it’s brutalizing U.S. citizens and law-abiding immigrants,” she said in a statement. “I will not support the current Homeland Security funding bill.”
Tim Kaine (D-VA), another of the eight, had said on Friday he would oppose funding for DHS.
Mark Warner (D-VA), who has previously said he would support funding, came out as a no on Saturday. “I cannot and will not vote to fund DHS while this administration continues these violent federal takeovers of our cities,” he wrote.
The DHS funding bill passed the House last week, with most Democrats voting against it but seven supporting it. The Senate has been on recess, and is expected to take up the bill this week.
Some Democrats on the House and Senate appropriation committees have argued that the funding bill is not the appropriate place to take a stand because ICE is already awash with cash that was sent its way as part of Republicans’ 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“ICE received $75 billion in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a press release from House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) reads. “In the event of a lapse in funding, ICE would be able to sustain regular operations for multiple years, while the other agencies under this bill would likely be forced to furlough workers and reduce operations.”
Democratic appropriators have argued that while voting against funding would not halt ICE’s operations, it would hurt other agencies and programs funded under the DHS bill, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Disaster Relief Fund, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and more.
“ICE must be reined in, and unfortunately, neither a CR nor a shutdown would do anything to restrain it, because, thanks to Republicans, ICE is now sitting on a massive slush fund it can tap whether or not we pass a funding bill,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate appropriations committee, wrote last week.
