type: timeline_event
Senate Democrats voted Thursday to block a motion to advance a House-passed bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, putting Washington on the brink of a partial government shutdown affecting more than 260,000 federal employees. The motion, which required 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, failed to advance by a vote of 52 to 47. Centrist Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who has a long-standing policy of voting against government shutdowns, was the only Democrat to vote for advancing the measure. Senate Majority Leader John Thune voted against in a procedural move allowing him to bring it up again.
Shortly after the failed vote, Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) attempted to get unanimous consent to move a two-week stopgap bill, but Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) objected. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his caucus voted against moving forward because the bill "fails to make any progress on reining in ICE and stopping the violence." Democrats demanded new restrictions on immigration officers including banning masks, requiring body cameras and identification, prohibiting racial profiling, requiring judicial warrants to enter private property, barring immigration enforcement at sensitive locations like schools and churches, and establishing reasonable use-of-force standards.
Capitol Hill was silent by Friday morning as both chambers left Washington for their previously scheduled Presidents Day recess, leaving the shutdown to take effect Saturday. Funding for TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard lapsed, though ICE and CBP continued operations without disruption due to tens of billions of dollars received through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by Trump. Senators left without a deal, signaling how far apart Democrats and White House negotiators remain, with lawmakers in both parties having little expectation of a near-term resolution. The vote demonstrates Congress's constitutional power of the purse being exercised to demand executive branch accountability on law enforcement conduct, though the administration's substantial alternative funding sources significantly undermine legislative leverage.