Yet another government shutdown could be likely as representatives for the Democratic and Republican parties struggle with chaos in Minneapolis, according to a report.
Attorney General Keith Ellison, speaking after the shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE agents Saturday, claimed the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was denied a review of the scene by federal officers. "This is uncharted territory," he said at a press conference alongside Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. "I don’t care if you’re conservative, liberal or whatever, but you should at least be in favor of conserving evidence in a homicide.”
It's a sentiment echoing through the House and Senate too, with Democratic Party reps confirming they will not vote through a bill that would give Homeland Security officers more funding.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer confirmed the party "will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included."
Fellow House and Senate representatives confirmed they would want to avoid a shutdown, but the funding made it impossible to vote through, The Hill reported.
Sen. Angus King (D-ME) said, "I hate shutdowns, I’m one of the people who helped negotiate the solution to the end of the last shutdown but I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances."
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) stated there is a chance other bills could pass through in this time, but one in particular is still a contentious point for both the Senate and House.
She said, "We have bipartisan agreement on 96 percent of the budget. We’ve already passed six funding bills. Let’s pass the remaining five bipartisan bills and fund essential agencies while we continue to fight for a Department of Homeland Security that respects Americans’ constitutional rights and preserves federal law enforcement’s essential role to keep us safe."
A White House official speaking anonymously said they hope to avoid a shutdown. They said, "Democrats were equal partners in negotiating these bills, which are the product of a bipartisan, collaborative process.
"Now, after a week spent celebrating their successes in the process, and in the midst of a winter storm, they’re holding emergency response funding hostage to score political points. We hope cooler heads prevail, and the country does not have to endure another damaging shutdown."