Lawmakers Confront Shutdown as Democrats Battle ICE Funding

Lawmakers are again racing to end a federal government shutdown that began Saturday, with House votes on several measures potentially taking place as early as today.

Some Democrats have said funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be suspended. (Photo: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Facebook) 

Democrats are opposing funding for the Department of Homeland Security following the fatal shooting of two Americans in Minneapolis by federal agents, Liz Moyer and Joe Light reported for Barron’s Daily.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC News he was confident a package could pass by Tuesday, though he acknowledged having very little room to maneuver with a one-vote majority.

Democrats signaled on Sunday morning talk shows that they would resist a fast-track process.

The Senate approved five of six spending bills late last week, temporarily extending DHS funding for two weeks while lawmakers negotiate differences. Some Democrats have said funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be suspended.

Prediction markets point to a short shutdown. Kalshi puts a 76% chance on funding being restored by Thursday, while Polymarket assigns the highest probability to a four-day shutdown, ending Wednesday, at 98%.

A Friday night memo from Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought instructed federal employees to begin shutdown procedures when they next report to work.

That process — which includes redirecting mail and backing up data servers — takes about half a day, with another half day required to restart operations.