Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York speaks about the Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, deadline to release the Epstein files during a Senate Democratic press conference on Capitol Hill.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
The U.S. government is on the brink of a partial shutdown by the end of the week after a federal immigration agent shot and killed an American citizen in Minnesota on Saturday, the second such incident this month.
The Senate is scheduled to vote this week on a sweeping $1.2 trillion House-passed package to fund the Department of Homeland Security and broader government by a Jan. 30 deadline. But the shooting death of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has threatened to derail the funding plan, with Democrats warning that they will oppose it unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security is cut.
“Democrats called for common-sense reforms to the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because Republicans have refused to stand up to President Trump, the Department of Homeland Security bill is woefully inadequate to curb ICE abuses,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Saturday night. “I will vote no.”
“If a DHS funding bill is included, Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to advance to a spending bill,” he said.
The funding package needs 60 votes to overcome the filibuster and pass the Senate. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and the bill would need support from Democrats to pass. Two of the 47 people are independents who caucus with Democrats.
Some Democratic lawmakers had already opposed the funding measure, which included the Defense Department in addition to DHS. Health and Human Services; Labor; Housing and Urban Development. Transportation; Education; National and Treasury.
But Preti’s death has sharply increased Democratic opposition to the bill.
“Federal agents cannot kill people in broad daylight and face no consequences,” Senate Appropriations Ranking Member Patty Murray, D-Washington, said on Saturday. “I do not support the DHS bill as it stands. It needs to be separated from the larger funding package in the Senate. Republicans must work with us to make that happen.”
It is unclear whether the Senate could split the DHS portion from the rest of the funding bill to minimize a partial shutdown. The House passed the DHS bill separately from the rest of the bill, but they will all be combined into one bill and sent to the Senate, meaning the Republican majority would have to support splitting the bill.
The House left Washington for a scheduled recess last week, but will likely have to return to approve any changes the Senate makes.
Further complicating matters is the massive snowstorm that hit Washington, D.C., and large swathes of the United States. The Senate canceled Monday’s vote because of the storm, shortening its already tight schedule to avoid a shutdown.
This story is developing. Please check back for the latest information.
