Democrats weigh funding fight over ICE after Minneapolis shooting

We will soon find out whether a political fight has broken out.

This has been the case for the last few days regarding congressional spending and war powers.

Paragraph 9 of Article I contains the provision that “No Money Can Be Taken from the Treasury Other Than Appropriations Made by Law”.

The most important authority given to Congress is over the powers of the federal budget. In other words, the amount Congress thinks the federal government should spend.

Following the US attack on Venezuela, there were calls from the left to halt funding to the Pentagon or the State Department. Now there’s a debate about reining in the Department of Homeland Security and ICE after an agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

The Liberal Democrats are paralyzed.

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“A kid lost his mother! And you want to act like it’s okay,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said, choking back tears. “I ask, is there anyone who will stand with the people who elected us and sent us to Congress?”

“A lot of people are talking about different reforms, and that’s their prerogative,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee. “Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee wrote: [Chairman Andrew] Garbarino, RY, ‘We want an oversight hearing on what’s going on at ICE.’ “That’s a reasonable request.”

I pressed Thompson on whether Congress should use funding to make changes to ICE.

“That’s above my pay grade,” Thompson replied.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. He is being more aggressive about Congress’s use of power over the federal treasury.

“We must use every means available to us to do this,” Raskin said. “Including the appropriations process.”

Sometimes this includes cutting money. Sometimes this requires limiting spending. Sometimes lawmakers use language that would prohibit certain activities of federal departments or agencies. Or legislative language may direct agencies to perform duties in a particular way.

But some progressives are so angry they want to cut money for ICE. Maybe we could even shut down the government.

The next deadline is January 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.

“I’m concerned about this,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told his colleague Kelly Phares. “I think this is a very bad idea.”

When asked about the possibility of shutting down ICE, the Speaker believed lawmakers could avoid it.

Republicans oppose any move by the left to reinstate the government shutdown strategy after last fall’s 43-day shutdown.

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“It’s going to be weapons-level stupidity,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “But I don’t forget anything about them. So maybe they didn’t learn anything from the fall shutdown, which was stupid.”

Congress has yet to take up funding bills for the Pentagon or the State Department for Fiscal Year 2026. It’s the same for DHS; but this bill will come soon.

Funding for nine different branches of the federal government ends Jan. 30. This includes DHS.

The House just approved a “minibus” spending package that addresses appropriations for energy and water programs, the Department of the Interior, and the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and Science. The plan is for the Senate to move in lockstep with the House on these bills. But no matter what, Congress will likely need to approve another “Continuing Resolution” (CR) to keep the lights on in all other parts of the federal government after the January 30 deadline. The CR would replace all federal funding at current levels. So it’s likely Congress will pass the spending bills he’s been working on and put everything else in CR to avoid a shutdown.

But some progressives have other ideas. They want to use this government funding deadline as “leverage” on ICE and Venezuela-related operations.

Passing a new DHS appropriations bill gives lawmakers the opportunity to change policy or adjust funding there. If both the House of Representatives and the Senate fail to approve a full-year DHS spending package, Congress will raise current levels again for now.

That is, unless Republicans have the votes on their side and need Democrats to bail them out. Some progressive Democrats are pushing for a shutdown simply because of the ICE issue. But it probably won’t come to that.

Sunrise light shines on the U.S. Capitol dome on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the 119th Congress begins Friday. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

From where?

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) don’t want to get close to another fight over government funding this year.

“Is ICE a red line in the funding fight? Should this be part of any funding bill?” asked CNN’s Manu Raju of Jeffries.

“Our focus right now in terms of the appropriations bill is to get the three bills that will be on the floor today across the finish line. Then we’ll turn to Homeland Security,” Jeffries said just hours before the House was to approve a triumvirate of other spending packages.

But I asked Jeffries why, if this issue is so critical, Democrats aren’t defending themselves.

“No, Chad, my focus right now is on making the lives of the American people better by expanding the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Meanwhile, many people in this agency believe that’s not possible,” Jeffries said.

That’s a reference to the Democrats’ bill to renew expired Obamacare subsidies that passed Thursday. Note that the extension of these subsidies was at the heart of last year’s government shutdown.

Schumer also took a gamble when asked about ICE and Congressional spending.

“Should ICE be abolished, senator?” a reporter asked.

“I have a lot of problems with ICE,” Schumer replied.

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“Should it be removed?” I followed the printer

“Thank you,” Schumer said as he walked from the House side to the Senate side at the Capitol Visitor Center.

Yours truly jumped.

“Why is there resistance to using the appropriations process for Venezuela or certainly now for ICE?” I questioned Schumer. “Are you afraid of another government shutdown?”

Schumer did not respond.

“Senator, it doesn’t seem like you’re keen on a fight at ICE. Is that fair to say?” he asked another reporter.

No response from Schumer.

“Why not use the appropriations process to rein in ICE, Leader Schumer?” Someone shouted as he continued down the corridor.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) walks to speak at a press conference following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on June 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. During the press conference, Senate Democrats spoke to reporters about anti-ICE demonstrations across the country and shootings in Minnesota that left one state lawmaker dead and another injured. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Silence from the Senate’s top Democrat.

Fox was told Democratic leaders were not keen on another shutdown. They fear this could disrupt their medium-term strategies. So they’re trying to quash rumors that ICE will be defunded in the hopes that they can maintain a fragile truce on government funding from now until Jan. 30.

There is no love lost between Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DY, and ICE. But even he understands Jeffries and Schumer’s pragmatism on the issue, despite pressure from fellow progressives to address ICE funding.

“They’re responsible for leading an entire caucus that elects Members from across the country. So they’re in a different position,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

But Ocasio-Cortez added that ICE funding “exploded almost overnight, and we’re seeing the consequences of that in terms of abuse of power.” He also noted that Democrats could cut back on ICE in another round of funding. Or if they win the parliamentary majority in the midterm elections.

But all this is far away.

The Minnesota ICE shooting poses a political impasse for Democrats.

Remember this time last winter when Democrats showed up at federal agencies, cursing like sailors and yelling about DOGE? The Democratic base accused their leaders of not “fighting” hard enough.

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Schumer then agreed to fund the government, averting a government shutdown last March. This sparked a deadly fight among Democrats on Capitol Hill. And it helped pave the way for a government shutdown in the fall.

Now we face a seismic event dominating the political landscape in Minnesota. Maybe at the level of George Floyd’s death in 2020. Democrats demand that their party use the political tools available to them to “fight.” One way is through appropriations and funding for DHS and ICE.

We’ll find out soon if Jeffries and Schumer picked the “right” fight. Or if the Democratic base demands a “new” fight.