America's Talking - Partial government shutdown looms after funding deal failure

Episode Date: January 30, 2026

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Senate failed to advance a package of the six remaining federal funding bills Thursday, leaving less than 40 hours until the federal government partially shuts down. More than $1.2 trillion is at stake in the House-passed legislation, funding State-Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, and Homeland Security throughout fiscal year 2026. After the second fatal shooting of a protester in Minneapolis, Democrats are demanding that the Homeland Security appropriations bill include new restrictions on immigration enforcement officers. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Greetings everyone and welcome to America's Talking, powered by the Center Square. I'm Dan McAulb, executive editor of the Center Square Newswire Service. Democrats and Republicans in Congress appear close to striking a deal to keep the federal government open. The agreement includes separating Department of Homeland Security funding from five other appropriations bills. The Senate is expected to pass the five remaining appropriations bills later today, Friday, January 30th, and then pass a two-week continuing resolution for DHS as Democrats. and Republicans negotiate terms over the department that includes immigration and customs enforcement. Join me to discuss this is the Center Square Congressional reporter, Teres Boudreau.

Terez, we are recording this Friday morning before the final votes are cast, but tell us, tell our listeners more about the negotiations. Yes, that's right. So we're really getting down to the wire here. It has, this has been a long time in the making. We have six appropriations bills that are already law at this point, three months, late for fiscal year 2026, but still law. And then there's six remaining. So there was actually supposed to be a vote last night. And there was to advance the six remaining bills in one package. But Democrats and with the help of some Republicans for other reasons tanked that. Because right now,

the fight is all about immigration and customs enforcement officers and their authority and what's been going on in Minnesota with those protests and with the two unfortunate killings. Democrats, especially, are very adamant that any funding bill for DHS includes safeguards and guardrails so that these kinds of things don't happen again. So they tanked the funding bill of six funding bills, which included the Homeland Security bill, because they said, we want you to separate that DHS bill out. We want to make reform. forms. You want to make it so that agents can't wear masks. They have to wear body cameras. They have to adhere to stricter codes of conduct. They have to have judicially approved warrants.

A lot of different demands that they have. And they're willing to, they're willing to shut the government down over this because that Friday night at 12 a.m. is when the parts of the government that aren't covered by those appropriations. bills that have passed are going to, we're going to get a partial shutdown because that's what happens when the government runs out of money. So it's, like I said, it's, it's getting down to the wire. So Republicans and Democrats last night, there were a lot of late night negotiations. And Republicans said, okay, we'll separate that DHS bill out. If you guys promise to vote on the five remaining ones so we can get those passed into law. And they're going to also

pass a two-week continuing resolution. So what that basically does is it puts funding on cruise control for DHS for about two weeks. And so that's going to give lawmakers time, hopefully, to negotiate those different terms and demands that Democrats want to see in that Homeland Security bill. Now, the House is out, which means that there, over the weekend, will be a very brief, won't really affect anyone partial government shutdown just for the DHS sign because that CR, that stopgap,

still needs to get the House's approval. The other five bills don't. They can just go straight to President Trump's desk because those have passed the House. But that CR needs House approval and the House doesn't return until February 2nd. So again, there's not going to be much drama involved with that, probably.

But that's where we're at right now. and that vote on those five bills and the stopgap is going to happen later this morning. So that's what we're going to be watching out for. Assuming the five non-DHS appropriations bills do pass today, which we are assuming that, and of course they still have to take the vote, so you never know. That leaves the DHS funding bill, as you said, where they're looking at a two-week continuing resolution. So in that two weeks time, then, Democrats and Republicans have to come to terms on what any restrictions on ice occur. Republicans, of course, support ICE. Most Republicans, I should say, support ICE in the ICE operations.

Democrats have not. Are they going to be able to strike a deal in two weeks? That is the question, isn't it? Republicans, especially Senate Majority Leader John Thune, wanted the CR to last longer. They were hoping for initially a six-week CR, and they paired it down to four weeks, but they eventually settled on the two weeks. Because that's the question is that there are a lot of restrictions that Democrats want, that a lot of Republicans, especially those in the House, remember, the House has to swallow this as well, that a lot of Republicans don't like, don't want to see.

You know, they make arguments, well, if you take away ICE's ability to wear masks when they conduct, then they conduct their business, then there could be people that docks them, you know, or, you know, people that put their personal information online. Because there's a lot of, you know, as everyone knows, there's a lot of tension, a lot of anger over what's going on right now. So, you know, just things like that to where it's, it is going to, you know, we're all hoping that they're able to negotiate. this in two weeks because otherwise, you know, what's what then? Are we going to have another CR? Are we, you know, like it's at that point we're, you know, four months basically into fiscal year 2026, which started in October. So it's like, okay, are they really, are they going to get their act here? And are they going to do this? I do think that there is, there is hope, though, on both sides that they will work something out because everyone wants to avoid another shutdown or

funding crisis of any kind. So I really do think that things are heading in the right direction and that we will get some kind of solution. Of course, yeah. In October and November, the government was shut down for the longest time in history. I don't think anyone wants that, but then there's all this controversy over immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota and across the country. We'll see. Teres, thank you for joining us today. Listeners can keep up with this story and more. at thecentersquare.com.