WASHINGTON — The latest government shutdown is over and Capitol Hill is bracing for another high-profile spat over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts that could lead to the shutdown of a federal agency.
With Trump signing legislation on February 3 to end partial funding lapses, all eyes in Congress are turning to ongoing negotiations to reform the Department of Homeland Security following the killing of Alex Pretty in Minnesota last month.
These discussions are subject to many constraints, but perhaps the biggest challenge is time. Lawmakers have just over a week to reach a compromise before a short-term funding extension for 9/11-era cabinet agencies expires on February 13.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) holds a press conference on February 3.
Read more: closure? What shutdown? Just another day at the office for Washington, D.C.
Democrats initially pushed for a major shift in negotiations with Republicans and the Trump administration in a bid to quickly erect more guardrails on ICE and the Border Patrol. But Republicans have expressed doubts that moving forward quickly is feasible.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said before the shutdown ended that the timetable for addressing bipartisan concerns about recent actions by the Department of Homeland Security was “too short to allow for any consequences.”
“Ultimately, this will be a conversation between the president of the United States and the Democrats in the Senate,” he told reporters on February 3.
The current political climate is markedly different from the past year in Washington, when Democrats had little influence over the Republican-controlled Congress and White House.
But the widespread backlash over the fatal shootings of two Minnesotans by federal agents during an immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis last month has angered the Democratic base, angered the gun lobby and prompted unusually harsh criticism of the Trump administration from congressional Republicans.
These dynamics give Democrats a rare upper hand, even as they risk another lengthy shutdown.
With the spending impasse behind them, lawmakers now have just 10 days to figure out a path forward or risk running out of money for the Department of Homeland Security. The situation would put Democrats in an awkward position, as ICE will continue to operate while other critical government functions Americans rely on, including the Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard, face employee pay lapses and other disruptions.
Congress approved $75 billion in funding for ICE over the next few years under the so-called “One Beauty Act” that President Trump signed into law last summer.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said as long as Republicans negotiate in good faith, “we can get things done.” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., will lead discussions with her Democratic counterparts.
“We expect to have a very serious, detailed proposal to the Republicans very soon,” Schumer told reporters on February 3.
Democrats demand: No masks, more body cameras
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) holds a news conference after the Democrats’ weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 3, 2026.
Senate Democrats outlined three major demands for reforming immigration enforcement. Among their demands is an end to sweeping immigration checks known as “roving patrols.” They also want more accountability from ICE and the Border Patrol, including independent investigations and stricter use-of-force standards. They implored federal agents to ban masks and body cameras.
Some Senate Republicans have said they are willing to accept some of the demands. On February 2, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered field officers in Minneapolis to immediately begin wearing body cameras.
Read more: Noem says federal officers in Minneapolis will wear body cameras ‘immediately’
But House Speaker Mike Johnson over the weekend ruled out any proposal to force federal agents to remove their masks en masse. The Louisiana Republican argued that doing so would compromise police safety.
“I don’t think the president will approve it, and he shouldn’t approve it,” Johnson said on Fox.
The comments quickly angered some Senate Democrats, raising the prospect of a Department of Homeland Security shutdown next week. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he would not vote for any Department of Homeland Security funding bill unless it contained “sweeping changes.”
“I heard Johnson say he wouldn’t even consider doing what other law enforcement agencies in the United States were doing, and that was not a cover-up,” he said. “That’s not something they’re willing to accept.”
Zachary Schermele is USA TODAY’s congressional reporter. You can contact him via email: zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky @zachschermele.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The shutdown is over. Trump’s Department of Homeland Security could soon have one of its own.
