Senate Democrats and White House strike deal to avoid government shutdown

Senate Democrats on Thursday struck a deal with Republicans and the White House to pass five spending bills to fund much of the government for the rest of the fiscal year and a short-term stopgap to fund the Department of Homeland Security while negotiators work on restrictions for immigration agents.

President Trump endorsed the agreement on social media. The deal would let the Senate move before the midnight Friday funding deadline and provide about two weeks of DHS funding while lawmakers and the White House continue talks over new guardrails on immigration enforcement. Democrats had pushed to separate homeland security funding from the larger package and to limit the length of any short-term extension; Republicans had sought a longer measure.

Senator Markwayne Mullin, who often acts as an emissary between the Senate and the White House, suggested senators could vote as soon as Thursday night on the five spending bills and the short-term DHS stopgap. He said many Senate Democrats favor a measure that would fund the department for up to two weeks, while Republicans favor "no less than four weeks." Congressional leaders were polling members, and any single senator’s objection could derail a speedy vote.

The agreement came after the fatal shooting last weekend of Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis, and Democrats had demanded strict limits on immigration operations as a condition of supporting DHS funding.

senate democrats deal, white house agreement, department of homeland security, dhs stopgap funding, immigration enforcement guardrails, restrain ice operations, alex pretti shooting, president trump endorsement, markwayne mullin statement, chuck schumer demands, five spending bills, government shutdown deadline