Senate Passes $174B Spending Package — But ICE Shooting Throws DHS Funding Into Doubt

ICE Shooting Derails Homeland Security Bill

Just two months after the longest government shutdown in American history, Congress is back at it.

The Senate passed a $174 billion spending package on January 15, sending three funding bills to President Trump.

But the victory lap was short.

The fatal shooting of Renee Good — a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was acting as a legal observer — by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7 has blown up negotiations over the most controversial bill of them all: Department of Homeland Security funding.

Lawmakers have just 10 days until the January 30 deadline to figure it out.

Senate Votes 82-15 on Thursday

The three-bill package funds the departments of Commerce, Justice, Energy, and Interior, along with the EPA and federal science agencies through September 30.

The House had already passed it by a 397-28 vote a week earlier.

With Trump expected to sign, this brings the total to six of twelve required spending bills completed. Both parties wanted to show they could work together after the chaos of last fall.

Six Bills Done, Six More to Go

Congress passed three spending bills in November when they ended the shutdown, covering Agriculture, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch. The package signed this week adds three more.

That leaves Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, Financial Services, State Department, and Homeland Security. The clock is ticking toward January 30.

The 43-Day Shutdown Still Stings

From October 1 to November 12, 2025, the federal government stayed closed for a record 43 days. About 750,000 workers were furloughed without pay.

National parks saw damage from unsupervised visitors. SNAP benefits were cut in half.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the shutdown cost $7 billion in lost economic output. Nobody in Congress wants to go through that again.

January 30 is the New Deadline

When lawmakers ended the shutdown in November, they gave themselves until January 30 to finish the job. The remaining agencies are running on flat funding from last year, and that expires at the end of the month.

If Congress fails to act, parts of the government will shut down again.

But this time, the damage would be smaller since half the agencies are already funded through September.

Minneapolis Shooting Blows Everything Up

On January 7, an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Federal officials say she tried to run over agents with her car.

Local officials say she was trying to drive away. The shooting sparked protests across the city, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the killing reckless and unnecessary.

It became a national flashpoint within hours.

Democrats Want ICE Reforms Now

Congressional Democrats see an opening. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut is pushing for restrictions on ICE, including mandatory body cameras, bans on face masks, and requirements that agents show judicial warrants before arrests.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus voted to oppose any DHS funding without meaningful reforms. About 70 House Democrats have signed onto an effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Republicans Defend the Agency

The Trump administration says the shooting was justified self-defense. House Speaker Mike Johnson accused local leaders in Minnesota of encouraging violence.

Trump himself threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to send military forces into Minneapolis if protests continued.

Republicans argue that defunding or restricting ICE would undermine border security and public safety.

DHS Bill Gets Pulled from Package

Appropriators originally planned to include Homeland Security funding in this week’s two-bill package covering Financial Services and State Department. They pulled it at the last minute.

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole said the shooting forced them to delay.

The Financial Services and State package passed the House 341-79 on January 14 and now awaits Senate action.

Thune Floats a Short-Term Fix

Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged that DHS is the hardest bill to pass. He suggested lawmakers may need a continuing resolution just for that agency to buy more time.

A CR would extend current funding levels but give the Trump administration more flexibility to move money around. Some Democrats say that defeats the purpose of negotiating reforms in the first place.

Three Big Bills Still Coming

The House plans to take up a three-bill package next week covering Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-HUD. These are the largest and most complex of the remaining bills.

Negotiators say they are close to finishing the text. If those pass, only DHS and the two bills already in the Senate would remain.

The question is whether there is enough time.

A Partial Shutdown Looks Survivable

If Congress misses the deadline, the shutdown would be partial.

Agencies funded through September, like the VA, Agriculture, Justice, and Commerce, would keep running normally. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would continue as well.

The pain would fall on agencies without full-year funding, including Defense and Homeland Security. Essential workers would stay on the job but might not get paid on time.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• US National Parks Win $3 Billion Fight, Congress Defies Trump
• Democrats Want to Cut the Cord Between Local Cops and ICE
• Would You Let Trump Snoop on Your Social Media Just to Enter the U.S.?