The Department of Homeland Security is all but certain to run out of funding at the end of the day Friday as lawmakers left Capitol Hill Thursday with no deal in sight.
Senate Democrats voted unanimously to block a DHS spending bill that was negotiated before the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, saying it did not address their demands for reform at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
An effort by Republican Sen. Katie Britt to extend funding for DHS for two weeks to allow time for further negotiations also failed.
The Senate has no further votes scheduled for this week and many senators were boarding planes to Germany for the Munich Security Conference. House members also left town.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 12, 2026.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Homeland Security officials from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Coast Guard previously warned lawmakers that a lapse in funding will leave thousands of personnel working without pay, disrupt disaster reimbursements, delay cyber protections and put a strain on agencies barely digging out of the previous government shutdown.
ICE, however, will largely continue operating because of the $75 billion already approved by Congress in President Donald Trump’s so-called “one big beautiful bill” that was passed last summer.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that talks would continue over the weekend and into next week’s Presidents Day week recess. But he slammed Democrats for blocking both efforts to keep DHS funded.
“What it appears to me, at least at this point, is happening is the Democrats, like they did last fall, they really don’t want the solution. They don’t want the answer. They want the political issue,” Thune said. “Negotiations will continue and we will see in the course of the next few days how serious they are.”
The Department of Homeland Security seal on the podium at the Ronald Reagan Building, Aug. 21, 2019, in Washington, D.C.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
On the other side of the aisle, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was “proud” of his Democratic colleagues for standing together to block DHS funding from advancing while they continue to advocate for changes to ICE.
“Today’s strong vote was a shot across the bow to Republicans. Democrats will not support a blank check for chaos. This vote today asked a simple question: Will you rein in ICE’s abuses, or will you vote to extend the chaos? Republicans chose chaos and the Democrats, we refused,” Schumer said at a news conference.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries similarly said Thursday that funding for DHS “should not move forward” unless there are “dramatic changes” made to ICE.
“ICE is completely and totally out of control. We know they need to be reined in now, without further delay,” Jeffries said at his news conference.
Democrats are calling for judicial warrants before agents can enter private property, a ban on ICE agents wearing face masks, requiring the use of body cameras and new laws for use-of-force standards.
In a statement, a White House official told ABC News, “The Administration has made many good faith efforts to have productive, bipartisan conversations with all involved. Democrats should not choose to shut down the government and risk funding for services that Americans rely on in order to try and advance an unrelated political goal. The Administration remains interested in good faith conversations, but will not be held hostage on an issue that the President was elected on. “
Democrats have so far rejected the White House proposals for ICE reform. Schumer on Thursday repeatedly said the proposal from the White House was “not serious.”
But Schumer and Senate Democrats, as well as Republicans, have declined to offer specific details about what was in the White House proposal.
“Well, look, first, I’m not going to negotiate in public and get into the details. But second, their proposal is not serious, plain and simple. It is very far apart from what we need,” Schumer said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson argued the latest proposal from the White House to fund DHS is “imminently reasonable.”
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce a rollback of the 2009 Endangerment Finding in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, February 12, 2026 in Washington.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
President Trump was asked about the impending shutdown as he took reporter questions at a White House event on Thursday.
Trump said he last spoke with Schumer “a week ago” and said some demands from Democrats are “very hard to approve” without elaborating on what those demands are.
“We have to protect our law enforcement,” Trump said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Democrats of not keeping America safe.
“Every other portion of the federal government has been funded except Homeland security. That’s telling the rest of the world the Democrat Party doesn’t think that protecting America is safe. It’s the wrong message to send,” Noem said at a press conference in California.
ABC News’ Lauren Peller, John Parkinson, Justin Gomez, Luke Barr and Nicholas Kerr contributed to this report.
