President Donald Trump signed a short-term spending bill to end a four-day partial government shutdown, hours after the Republican-controlled House approved the measure 217-214 amid a bruising fight over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and the administration’s immigration crackdown.
The closure, which began Saturday, halted or disrupted nonessential federal services until Congress sent the measure to the White House on Wednesday. Twenty-one Democrats joined Republicans to push the bill through, while an equal number of Republicans broke ranks, refusing to back the package without policy changes to DHS favored by conservatives.
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At a White House signing ceremony, Trump cast the agreement as a win. “This bill is a great victory for the American people,” he said. “Instead of a bloated and wasteful omnibus monstrosity full of special interest handouts, we’ve succeeded in passing a fiscally responsible package that actually cuts wasteful federal spending while supporting critical programs for the safety, security and prosperity of the American people.”
The stopgap deal provides a two-week window for lawmakers to negotiate a full-year DHS funding bill. Both parties say the talks will be politically fraught: Democrats are seeking new guardrails on immigration enforcement, while conservatives aim to lock in hardline policy priorities.
Democrats had balked at advancing DHS money without changes to the agency’s tactics in immigration sweeps. They have pressed for accountability after reports of heavily armed, masked and unidentified federal agents detaining people without warrants, a practice that intensified scrutiny of the department’s operations.
The standoff hardened after federal agents last month shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis — Renee Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, a nurse who worked with military veterans — turning the city into a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration enforcement. In response to public outcry, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that federal agents in Minneapolis will wear body cameras “effective immediately,” with the program to be expanded nationwide.
Trump, who presided over a record 43-day shutdown last summer, had pressed Republicans to back the latest spending bill and end the closure. The president’s allies argued that averting a prolonged shutdown would keep pressure focused on Democrats in the looming DHS talks, while critics complained the party surrendered leverage without securing lasting policy concessions.
Shutdowns temporarily freeze funding for nonessential federal operations, forcing agencies to halt services, place some workers on unpaid leave and require others to work without pay until a spending agreement is reached. The rapid resolution underscores how the DHS fight has become the central fault line in this budget round — a clash that now moves to the two-week negotiating sprint ahead.
What emerges next will likely define the contours of federal immigration enforcement for the remainder of the fiscal year. Democrats want clearer identification for agents, limitations on warrantless detentions and stronger transparency measures, including body camera mandates and public reporting. Conservatives are expected to seek broader latitude for agents in the field and funding that accelerates the administration’s crackdown.
For now, the government is reopened, federal workers are back on the clock, and the political battle over DHS has only intensified. Whether the body camera pledge and other concessions can bridge the gap between the parties will determine if Washington avoids another shutdown when the stopgap funding runs out.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
