A partial US government shutdown entered its third day on Monday without resolution as Democrats continued to demand immigration reforms as part of any funding deal to reopen the government.
Senate Democrats and Republicans agreed to a package of five spending bills on Thursday, but stripped out a sixth bill for full fiscal-year funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Senate instead approved a two-week funding bill for DHS, giving lawmakers more time to work out disputes over its long-term budget.
Democrats want changes to the immigration enforcement operation, including requiring agents to wear body cameras that are turned on and not to wear masks.
The package approved by the Senate must now be cleared by the House of Representatives before it is sent to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.
The Senate package includes funding for the defence department, the health department, the Treasury, the federal court system and other agencies until the end of the 2026 fiscal year on 30 September.
But funding for these federal agencies ended at midnight on Saturday, resulting in a partial shutdown, as the House has yet to approve it.
The House Rules Committee is meeting on Monday afternoon to consider the funding package.
The Senate-approved package must first clear a procedural hurdle known as the rule vote, which Democrats are expected to vote against.
Ahead of the procedural vote, Trump called on lawmakers to send a bill to his desk “without delay”.
“We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have been raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless, and destructive Shutdown that will hurt our Country so badly,” he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna told NBC News on Sunday that he was advocating for his colleagues to vote against the DHS stopgap funding.
“I just don’t see how in good conscience Democrats can vote for continuing ICE funding when they’re killing American citizens,” he said.
Yet Republican leaders said they were confident they could pass all the bills soon.
“We’ll get this done by Tuesday, I’m convinced,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Fox News on Sunday.
The Republican leader told NBC that a winter storm could make it difficult to get lawmakers back in town to vote. Republicans only have a one-vote majority in the House.
The limited shutdown has already affected a litany of government services, once again forcing thousands of Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic control workers to either stay home on furlough or work without pay.
It will also delay the Bureau of Labour Statistics’ monthly jobs report. The report is used by political leaders, investors, and everyday Americans to gauge how the world’s richest country is faring.
The impasse comes as thousands of people have taken to the streets in Minneapolis to protest against Operation Metro Surge – a Trump administration immigration enforcement effort that has drawn widespread outrage after federal agents fatally shot two US citizens.
Democrats have demanded changes in funding to DHS in light of the fatal shootings and have advocated for changes to ICE protocol, such as banning agents’ use of masks and having stricter warrant requirements.
The DHS is a sprawling department encompassing multiple agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Coast Guard and Secret Service.
Thousands of federal agents from ICE and CBP have been deployed to Minnesota as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
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