US government shutdown looks inevitable despite deal
Despite plans in the Senate to vote on a deal that would keep a broad swath of the government functioning, a brief shutdown of the U.S. government seems inevitable.
The agreement will fund government operations, from the military to health programs. But the measure must also be approved by the House of Representatives, which is not expected to be implemented until Monday at the earliest.
This means a brief shutdown is likely to begin after midnight Friday local time.
Senate Democrats and President Donald Trump reached a deal Thursday that will allow Congress to ensure government operations are not disrupted while negotiating new limits on Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that it would be difficult for lawmakers to return to Washington to vote before the midnight deadline.
Any resulting shutdown may be short-lived.
Lawmakers from both parties are working to ensure that the debate over immigration enforcement does not disrupt other government operations.
This is in marked contrast to last year, when Republicans and Democrats explored their positions in a dispute over health care that led to a record 43-day shutdown and cost the US economy an estimated US$11 billion ($A16 billion).
The deal would separate funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from the broader funding package and allow lawmakers to approve spending by agencies like the Pentagon and the Labor Department as they consider new restrictions on federal immigration agents.
Senate Democrats, angered by the shooting of a second US citizen by immigration officers in Minneapolis last weekend, had threatened to hold up the funding package in an attempt to force Trump to rein in DHS, which oversees federal immigration enforcement.
Democrats want to end patrols, require agents to wear body cameras and ban them from wearing face masks. They also want to require immigration agents to obtain search warrants from a judge rather than their own officers. Republicans say they are open to some of these ideas.
DHS funding will be extended by two weeks, giving negotiators time to reach agreement on immigration tactics.
The shooting death of nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents on Saturday sparked widespread public outrage and led the Trump administration to scale back operations in the region.
Pretti’s death was the second this month of a U.S. citizen with no criminal record involving immigration law enforcement.
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