Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., bucked his party again and joined Senate Republicans to fund DHS. He argued that ICE, CBP and immigration operations wouldn't be hurt by a shutdown, but other crucial functions like TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard would. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
"This shutdown literally has zero impact on ICE functionality," Fetterman said in a post on X. "Country over party is refusing to hit the entire Department of Homeland Security. Democracy demands a way forward to reform ICE without damaging our critical national security agencies."
Senate Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS this week has made a partial government shutdown affecting only DHS inevitable. The deadline to strike a deal is midnight Friday, and the likelihood of that happening is nearly nonexistent.
That’s because both chambers of Congress quickly fled Washington, D.C., on Thursday, with many in the upper chamber leaving the country altogether for the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
DHS SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS WITHOUT PAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO AIRPORTS AND DISASTER RESPONSE
A TSA agent wears a patch on his uniform at the Miami International Airport on Dec. 17, 2024, in Miami. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
But other functions under DHS’ purview, like TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard and more, will experience the brunt of the partial shutdown.
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Negotiations on striking a deal are expected to continue in the background, and Senate Democrats have signaled that they’re considering offering a counteroffer to the White House in response to the GOP proposal.
Still, a vote to reopen and fund the agency won’t happen until early next week at best.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fetterman-bucks-democrats-says-party-put-politics-over-country-dhs-shutdown-standoff