Senate Democrats blocked a procedural vote on a massive FY2026 funding package as they continue to negotiate with the White House on splitting off Homeland Security funding.
The vote was 45-55. Seven Republicans joined all Democrats in voting no. It needed 60 to advance. Senate Majority Leader John Thune changed his vote to “no,” which allows him to bring the measure back up at any time.
Senators hope to pass the other five funding bills as a package, alongside a short-term continuing resolution for DHS. Funding for most federal agencies runs out at midnight Friday.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said it was “important to show that there’s unanimity in the Democratic Caucus.”
The final sticking point is the duration of that CR. Democrats are demanding a one- or two-week CR for DHS as they try to force a quick agreement on their demands that ICE’s operations and tactics be restricted. That could set the deadline against the Presidents’ Day recess in mid-February.
“We need to keep the pressure going to get this resolved,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said. “Minnesota is really struggling right now, and I can’t go and say, ‘Oh, we’re gonna, like, maybe have a solution in six weeks.’”
“I want it to be short-term because the need for reform is immediate,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) added.
Some Democrats, though, are comfortable with a longer-term CR. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) told us on “Fly Out Day” this morning that the CR should run for “as long as it takes” to reach a bipartisan agreement on Democrats’ demands.
Other Democrats are hesitant to embrace any sort of DHS stopgap. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said he wants Congress to “act with urgency” and that there’s no reason a deal couldn’t be reached this weekend.
The White House wants a longer CR, perhaps even up to six weeks. The administration is incentivized to take its time. Top officials believe that the furor over the deadly shootings in Minnesota will subside, and they may be able to get a better deal. White House border czar Tom Homan, who President Donald Trump appointed to take over the Minnesota operation, vowed to scale back the mass immigration sweeps.
GOP Sens. Ron Johnson (Wis.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Ashley Moody (Fla.), Ted Budd (N.C.), Rand Paul (Ky.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) joined all 47 Democrats in opposing the procedural vote.
Most of these “no” votes were due to fiscal concerns. Budd told us he opposes the funding package due to abortion funding. Johnson has long been pushing Thune to help pass his Shutdown Fairness Act.
This is something that Thune will need to keep an eye on, because it means even more Democratic votes would be needed to pass the funding package in the end.
Next steps. The Senate operates on consent. So if Democrats and the White House reach an agreement on the duration of the DHS CR, the chamber could move to pass the remaining five funding bills and DHS stopgap quickly — possibly as soon as today.
At this juncture, it seems unlikely that the House will return early from its recess. The chamber is scheduled to come back into session Monday.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled Thursday that he’s ok with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s plan to pass the five funding bills and a DHS stopgap.
Jeffries told reporters he is open to a short-term CR for DHS but only if Congress is on track to enact serious reforms.
“We’ll evaluate whatever is sent to us, and if we’re on a path to a dramatic, immediate, transformative change, then I’m sure that will be a part of what heavily weighs into our discussion,” Jeffries said.
