House Republicans have pushed through a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) despite widespread Democratic opposition, as outrage mounts over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violence. The 220-207 vote on Thursday saw just seven Democrats cross the aisle to join nearly all Republicans in backing the measure, which funds the agency spearheading Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Democratic dissent has intensified following the shooting death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month. In a joint statement on Wednesday, Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar condemned the “brutalisation” of US citizens, declaring: “Taxpayer dollars are being misused… This extremism must end.”
The House also approved a separate package of three spending bills covering defence, labour, health, education, transport and housing through to 30 September, which passed with strong bipartisan support, 341-88. The legislation now moves to the Senate, which must act by 30 January to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Despite provisions in the DHS bill that keep ICE’s $10bn annual budget flat, reduce enforcement and removal operations, and cut detention beds by 5,500, as well as $20m for body-worn cameras, Democrats remain deeply unhappy. Pete Aguilar said the reforms were insufficient, accusing the Trump administration of using ICE to “terrorise communities and US citizens”.
Some Democrats, like Connecticut representative Rosa DeLauro, argued for backing the bill to avoid a shutdown affecting other agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Senate is expected to combine the outstanding funding bills into one package, increasing pressure on Democrats who want to constrain ICE but are reluctant to block funding for other departments.
