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Lawmakers reached an agreement Thursday to move forward with a major package of federal spending bills that would avoid a government shutdown for most agencies beginning Saturday, according to a Senate Democratic leadership aide cited by Reuters.
Under the deal, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill would be split from the broader package and funded at current levels for roughly two weeks, giving negotiators additional time to resolve disputes over immigration enforcement and accountability provisions.
President Donald Trump said Thursday afternoon that he is working with Democrats to finalize an agreement and warned that a shutdown could hurt the U.S. economy.
“America is setting Records in every way, and our Growth Numbers are among the best ever,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “The only thing that can slow our Country down is another long and damaging Government Shutdown.”
President Trump said Republicans and Democrats “have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September,” and added that the agreement includes “an extension to the Department of Homeland Security (including the very important Coast Guard, which we are expanding and rebuilding like never before).”
Democrats have increasingly pushed back on approving long-term DHS funding following several recent immigration enforcement incidents in which ICE or Border Patrol agents fatally shot civilians during arrest operations. Those incidents have fueled protests and renewed calls from Democrats for stricter accountability measures, including expanded body-camera requirements, clearer use-of-force standards, and stronger congressional oversight of ICE.
Republicans argue that Democrats are attempting to impose immigration policy through the appropriations process and warn that delaying DHS funding risks weakening border security operations. The short-term DHS extension is intended to prevent an immediate lapse in homeland security funding while isolating the most contentious issues from the rest of the spending package.
The broader legislation would fund agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, through the end of the fiscal year.
The Senate must still pass the package and send it to the House before funding expires. House leaders say they are prepared to act once the Senate completes its work.
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