Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reiterated his promise to oppose funding the Department of Homeland Security and suggested to “rewrite” the appropriations bill instead, as another possible government shutdown looms large this week.
Schumer voiced his opposition to the DHS funding bill after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent during an immigration operation on Saturday in Minneapolis. The fatal shooting is the second officer-involved incident in the city this month after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Good on Jan. 7.
“Senate Republicans have seen the same horrific footage that all Americans have watched of the blatant abuses of Americans by ICE in Minnesota. The appalling murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis must lead Republicans to join Democrats in overhauling ICE and CBP to protect the public,” Schumer said in a statement on Sunday. “Senate Republicans must work with Democrats to advance the other five funding bills while we work to rewrite the DHS bill. This is [the] best course of action, and the American people are on our side.”
Schumer echoed the proposals from Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Jack Reed (D-RI), who suggested dropping the bill and instead pass the other five. Other Democratic senators have suggested reworking the current DHS bill that narrowly passed the House last week, though time is running out.
The deadline to fund the government is Jan. 30, and the Senate is out of session on Monday due to the winter storm affecting the Northeast. Should the upper chamber not reach a consensus on the bill by the end of this week, there will be at least a partial government shutdown — and the second one in recent months.
Late last year, debate over expiring COVID-era Obamacare subsidies led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, lasting 43 days.
SCHIFF SAYS HE’S NOT GIVING ICE OR BORDER PATROL ‘ANOTHER DIME’ AFTER PRETTI SHOOTING
That shutdown fight ended with a bipartisan agreement to negotiate the subsidies, and the Senate will need another given Democrats’ stated opposition to DHS funding, the Senate GOP’s narrow majority, and the 60-vote threshold needed to pass appropriations bills.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) for comment.
