WASHINGTON (PTTP) – Congress failed to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) disagreements. This is the third government shutdown in the past four months.
In response to the killings of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti, Democrats have pushed harder for ICE reforms. As such, Democrats in Congress refused to pass a government spending package until their concerns were taken into account. This resulted in a four day, partial shutdown at the end of January. On Feb. 3, the White House ended the shutdown by funding a majority of government agencies until September. As part of this deal, the White House and Senate Democrats agreed to fund DHS for only two weeks, as ICE talks continue.
Two weeks later, no consensus was reached. On Feb. 14, another partial shutdown began. According to the White House, both sides are “still pretty far apart.” Democrats’ demands include banning face masks, implementing body cameras, and requiring the use of judicial over administrative warrants. Republicans state these restrictions would leave ICE agents’ safety at risk.
On Monday, Feb. 16, Democrats sent their proposal to the White House. It was rejected the following day, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describing it as “unserious”.
This shutdown will impact ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Coast Guard, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). However, ICE and CBP are largely sheltered by lack of funds, as they were heavily funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill in 2025.
The House and Senate are currently on leave until next week.