Senate scrambles to avoid a third government shutdown under President Trump

The Senate is scrambling to avoid a third government shutdown under President Donald Trump, and lawmakers are cautiously optimistic a deal can be struck after negotiations appeared to hit a wall.

Senate Republicans received Senate Democrats’ “partisan wish list” over the weekend, sources familiar with the negotiations told Fox News Digital. The White House offered its own counterproposal, but many lawmakers were unclear on what was in the package as of Monday night.

Some, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), didn’t say anything about it but noted that congressional Democrats and the White House have “trade papers” and signaled that the back-and-forth bodes well for negotiations to move forward.

However, the MPs have not been able to get out of the situation yet; Thune has warned about this since Senate Democrats requested a two-week funding extension for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Congress has until Friday to avert a shutdown, leaving little time to move a short-term space from one side of the building to the other.

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Republicans are considering another short-term extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), to avoid a partial shutdown. Whether Democrats sign on depends on how well negotiations are going behind the scenes, Thune said, but so far he hinted that things are moving toward a solution.

“I think so, based on what I know about the discussion so far, but we’ll know more when the proposal comes back,” Thune said. “Let’s have a chance to evaluate it.”

Thune later said he planned to file another CR on Tuesday, but noted the deadline “needs to be negotiated.” But let’s see what the next day brings and we’ll go from there.”

Democrats’ primary goal is to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.

Their proposal included provisions that were a bridge too far for Republicans, including requiring ICE agents to obtain judicial clearance, unmask and have identification readily available — though some in the GOP warned that doing so would lead to more agents having their personal information deleted or private information, such as a person’s address, made public.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) warned that “the clock is ticking” for Republicans to respond.

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Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., speaks with reporters after the weekly Senate Republican Caucus policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on January 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“We have sent you our proposals, and they are extremely reasonable,” Schumer said in his speech on the Senate floor. he said. “I hope our colleagues on the other side, and most of them, at least in the Senate, recognize that things need to change and show that they are ready to take meaningful action.”

Before Democrats finally delivered the legal version of their demands on Saturday, Republicans publicly questioned whether they really wanted to engage in serious negotiations. This changed over the weekend.

“President Trump has been consistent, he wants the government to be open, and the Administration is working with both parties to ensure that the American people do not have to endure another prolonged, senseless and painful shutdown,” a White House official told Fox News.

Meanwhile, the scope and scale of a potential third shutdown would be limited to DHS alone, but would actually only have an impact on FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard, and other priorities under the agency’s umbrella. That’s because ICE and immigration enforcement are inundated with billions of dollars from Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

“I think it would be a huge mistake for Democrats to say that the safety of Americans is not paramount, and I certainly hope they will continue to work in good faith,” said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., chair of the Homeland Security Expenditure Panel.

“Because you realize, ICE and [Customs and Border Patrol] “It will continue to be funded,” he continued.

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Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., argued that Senate Democrats’ list of demands was reasonable and urged Republicans to get serious about negotiating. (Bill Clark/CQ Polling, Inc. via Getty Images)

Things are about to get complicated quickly in the upper room, too. Lawmakers are preparing to leave Washington, D.C., for a week-long recess this Thursday, with many heading abroad to attend the Munich Security Conference.

This starts on the deadline day and lasts until the end of the week. Thune warned that it’s possible to cancel the upcoming recess, especially if little progress is made in avoiding a DHS shutdown.

Still, Senate Democrats believe the ball is in the GOP’s court and expect their counterparts to act.

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“I mean, I think they’re pretty reasonable,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations panel.

“So we didn’t want the moon,” he continued. “We wanted targeted but effective changes to the way ICE terrorizes American cities. Frankly, we are willing to negotiate.”