WASHINGTON: A partial US government shutdown appeared increasingly likely on Thursday after Senate Democrats rejected a key procedural vote, expressing anger over the recent killing of two protesters opposing President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies.
Read More: Senate Passes Deal to End US Shutdown
The failure to advance a six-bill spending package — intended to fund more than three-quarters of the federal government — makes a shutdown starting Saturday difficult to avoid. Democrats and the White House were still seeking a last-minute deal to avert the disruption.
🔥🚨 BREAKING: The Senate just FAILED a test vote to fund the Government in a 45-55 vote.
Democrats are holding DHS funding hostage
The government will shut down at midnight tomorrow unless THIS BILL GETS PASSED.
Several “Republicans” voted NO pic.twitter.com/qMxn9wQgLW
— The Patriot Oasis™ (@ThePatriotOasis) January 29, 2026
Democrats had demanded that funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) be separated from the broader package and include new legal limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the country’s most heavily funded law-enforcement agency.
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote: “What ICE is doing… it is state-sanctioned thuggery and it must stop. And Congress has the authority — and the moral obligation — to act.”
The vote ended 55-45 against the package, as a small number of Republicans joined Democrats in opposition, leaving the chamber short of the 60 votes required to move the legislation forward. If funding lapses, hundreds of thousands of federal employees could face unpaid leave or work without pay, with wider economic effects expected.
The standoff follows the deaths of two immigration protesters in Minneapolis, fueling Democratic demands for new safeguards on ICE operations, including restrictions on patrols, requirements for search warrants, body cameras, proper identification, and prohibitions on masked officers.
Read More: Trump signs bill ending longest US government shutdown
Republicans have resisted splitting the bill, arguing it would slow passage and risk a shutdown. With the House currently on recess, both chambers must approve identical legislation for it to become law. The White House has reportedly stepped up involvement, exploring a temporary DHS funding extension to defuse the crisis.