Senate Democrats said Thursday they have struck an agreement to move forward with a package of bills to avert a partial government shutdown.
The agreement will see the Department of Homeland Security funding bill separated from a package of five other bills. Programs funded by the five-bill package will be funded until the end of September. DHS will be funded for two additional weeks to allow lawmakers to negotiate on other provisions in the package.
Senate Democrats had been in negotiations with the White House over DHS funding and wanted it removed from the other funding bills so that changes to the DHS bill aimed at reining in DHS can be made without affecting the other agencies that still need to be funded.
The Senate will still need to vote on the bill before funding runs out at the end of the week.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in the U.S. Capitol on January 29, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
It is likely that even if the Senate passes the bills, there will still be a short partial shutdown — the bills would need to go back to the House for consideration. It seems unlikely the House, which is in recess until Monday, could pass any of these bills before Friday night’s funding deadline.
Democrats called to separate the DHS funding following the deaths of Renee Good, a mother of three who was fatally shot by an immigration enforcement officer in Minneapolis earlier this month, and became more urgent after the death of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, who was killed in a shooting involving federal law enforcement over the weekend.
After Democratic urging, a critical mass of Republicans seemed prepared Thursday afternoon to support an agreement.
The Senate could start taking votes later Thursday. It’s not yet clear whether amendment votes will be needed.
Earlier Thursday, Senate Democrats voted unanimously to block the package of six funding bills, with it failing to advance by a vote of 45-55. It would have needed at least 60 votes to proceed. Multiple Republicans also cast votes against the package.
Coming into the negotiations, Senate Democrats laid out a list of additional demands including: ending roving patrols, ensuring federal agents are held to the same use of force policies that apply to state and local law enforcement, preventing agents from wearing masks and requiring body cameras.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone about averting a shutdown.
“Hopefully we won’t have a shutdown and we’re working on that right now. I think we’re getting close,” Trump said during his Cabinet meeting. “The Democrats, I don’t believe want to see it either, so we’ll work in a very bipartisan way.”