By Siobhan Hughes and Lindsay Wise

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats signaled Saturday that they would be willing to shut down much of the government rather than vote for a package that includes funds for immigration enforcement, following another deadly shooting in Minneapolis.

"What's happening in Minnesota is appalling -- and unacceptable in any American city," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said in a statement. He said Senate Democrats wouldn't provide the votes needed for Republicans to advance the spending package needed to fund federal agencies if Department of Homeland Security funding is included.

The statement came after many Senate Democrats -- including some who broke with the majority of their party in November and voted to reopen the government -- issued angry statements Saturday saying they wouldn't support a bill funding DHS, which includes the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democrats are demanding constraints on DHS's immigration enforcement activities and more oversight.

"Enough is enough," said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D., Nev.), who last year was one of eight Democrats to join Senate Republicans in voting to end the shutdown. "I have the responsibility to hold the Trump administration accountable when I see abuses of power," she said in a social-media post.

The statement from Schumer raised the prospect of a partial government shutdown when funding for the federal government expires at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 31, since the Homeland Security funding is wrapped into a broader package covering about $1.3 trillion in annual spending. Senate Democrats are expected to hold a caucuswide call on Sunday.

Heading into the weekend, many Senate Democrats had wanted to avoid another shutdown. But the deadly shooting of a 37-year-old Minnesota man by a U.S. Border Patrol officer changed the dynamic, aides and lawmakers said, uniting the party in taking a hard line. The Trump administration has surged border-control officers into the city as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration, sparking protests and physical confrontations.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D., Nev.) -- who consistently voted to keep the government open last year -- said that she couldn't support funding for DHS, saying agents were "oppressing Americans."

Other Democrats who issued statements vowing to vote against the funding include Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Mark Warner of Virginia and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) had already indicated a day earlier that he disliked funding DHS as part of a larger package, citing in part what he said were a lack of "safeguards against ICE operations that inflame tensions within our cities."

In a sign that frustration with the Trump administration's approach extends across the aisle, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R., N.Y.) said that he has asked top DHS officials including Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott to testify before the panel.

Republicans senators have largely backed the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, though some, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) said an earlier shooting in Minneapolis by ICE was deeply disturbing, calling for a thorough investigation and policy changes.

Next week the Senate is set to take up six bills that fund the military and social services -- the bulk of federal discretionary spending -- for the remainder of fiscal 2026, which runs through September. Republicans control the Senate 53-47, where 60 votes are needed to advance most legislation. Heading into the weekend, many Democrats had been expected to join Republicans in passing the measures, which have been bundled together as one vote.

But Democrats' widespread anger called that into question. The House is scheduled to be out of session next week, meaning a possible partial shutdown beginning Saturday if the Senate fails to pass the package, or decides to change the legislation.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii) -- an important gauge of Senate Democratic sentiment as he is seen as the next Senate Democratic whip -- joined colleagues in saying he would vote against funding DHS. "These repeated incidents of violence across the country are unlawful, needlessly escalatory, and making all of us less safe," he said.

The House last week passed the final four of the 12 annual spending bills, including those funding DHS and the Pentagon -- typically a GOP priority -- and the Labor Department and the Health and Human Services Department, whose priorities are favored by Democrats. Together, those four measures would provide more than $1.2 trillion of the more than $1.6 trillion in the government's discretionary spending for fiscal 2026.

The House packaged those four bills plus two more into a single measure and sent it to the Senate. If Senate Democrats want to oppose funding for DHS, they have to oppose the entire collection of bills -- including one funding the military, which is about $831 billion.

Voting against the package will do little in the short term to curtail immigration enforcement. President Trump's major legislative achievement -- which he dubbed the "one big beautiful bill" -- provided $4.1 billion to hire and train additional border-patrol agents.

Write to Siobhan Hughes at Siobhan.hughes@wsj.com and Lindsay Wise at lindsay.wise@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

By Siobhan Hughes and Lindsay Wise

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats signaled Saturday that they would be willing to shut down much of the government rather than vote for a package that includes funds for immigration enforcement, following another deadly shooting in Minneapolis.

"What's happening in Minnesota is appalling -- and unacceptable in any American city," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said in a statement. He said Senate Democrats wouldn't provide the votes needed for Republicans to advance the spending package needed to fund federal agencies if Department of Homeland Security funding is included.

The statement came after many Senate Democrats -- including some who broke with the majority of their party in November and voted to reopen the government -- issued angry statements Saturday saying they wouldn't support a bill funding DHS, which includes the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democrats are demanding constraints on DHS's immigration enforcement activities and more oversight.

"Enough is enough," said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D., Nev.), who last year was one of eight Democrats to join Senate Republicans in voting to end the shutdown. "I have the responsibility to hold the Trump administration accountable when I see abuses of power," she said in a social-media post.

The statement from Schumer raised the prospect of a partial government shutdown when funding for the federal government expires at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 31, since the Homeland Security funding is wrapped into a broader package covering about $1.3 trillion in annual spending. Senate Democrats are expected to hold a caucuswide call on Sunday.

Heading into the weekend, many Senate Democrats had wanted to avoid another shutdown. But the deadly shooting of a 37-year-old Minnesota man by a U.S. Border Patrol officer changed the dynamic, aides and lawmakers said, uniting the party in taking a hard line. The Trump administration has surged border-control officers into the city as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration, sparking protests and physical confrontations.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D., Nev.) -- who consistently voted to keep the government open last year -- said that she couldn't support funding for DHS, saying agents were "oppressing Americans."

Other Democrats who issued statements vowing to vote against the funding include Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Mark Warner of Virginia and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) had already indicated a day earlier that he disliked funding DHS as part of a larger package, citing in part what he said were a lack of "safeguards against ICE operations that inflame tensions within our cities."

In a sign that frustration with the Trump administration's approach extends across the aisle, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R., N.Y.) said that he has asked top DHS officials including Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott to testify before the panel.

Republicans senators have largely backed the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, though some, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) said an earlier shooting in Minneapolis by ICE was deeply disturbing, calling for a thorough investigation and policy changes.

Next week the Senate is set to take up six bills that fund the military and social services -- the bulk of federal discretionary spending -- for the remainder of fiscal 2026, which runs through September. Republicans control the Senate 53-47, where 60 votes are needed to advance most legislation. Heading into the weekend, many Democrats had been expected to join Republicans in passing the measures, which have been bundled together as one vote.

But Democrats' widespread anger called that into question. The House is scheduled to be out of session next week, meaning a possible partial shutdown beginning Saturday if the Senate fails to pass the package, or decides to change the legislation.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii) -- an important gauge of Senate Democratic sentiment as he is seen as the next Senate Democratic whip -- joined colleagues in saying he would vote against funding DHS. "These repeated incidents of violence across the country are unlawful, needlessly escalatory, and making all of us less safe," he said.

The House last week passed the final four of the 12 annual spending bills, including those funding DHS and the Pentagon -- typically a GOP priority -- and the Labor Department and the Health and Human Services Department, whose priorities are favored by Democrats. Together, those four measures would provide more than $1.2 trillion of the more than $1.6 trillion in the government's discretionary spending for fiscal 2026.

The House packaged those four bills plus two more into a single measure and sent it to the Senate. If Senate Democrats want to oppose funding for DHS, they have to oppose the entire collection of bills -- including one funding the military, which is about $831 billion.

Voting against the package will do little in the short term to curtail immigration enforcement. President Trump's major legislative achievement -- which he dubbed the "one big beautiful bill" -- provided $4.1 billion to hire and train additional border-patrol agents.

Write to Siobhan Hughes at Siobhan.hughes@wsj.com and Lindsay Wise at lindsay.wise@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 24, 2026 20:00 ET (01:00 GMT)

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