Where Congress stands in the DHS funding battle

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And throughout the political zeitgeist, a big, thick bubble of question is forming: Is this a turning point in Trump 2.0?

The killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretty in Minneapolis while pinned down and shot by federal officers has sparked outrage and dominated political thought since it occurred on Saturday.

He watches: Minneapolis residents remain skeptical after immigration enforcement leadership change

The idea of ​​a “tipping point” in public and political opinion about Trump is as new as the idea that Trump tells different people different things on different days.

We don’t know where things will be a week (or actually a day) from now. But let’s take a look at what actions Congress has taken — and largely taken by Democrats — in the conversation.

1. A partial lockdown looms

Watch the clip in the player above.

No one has done more recently to make Congress work better than the sequesters. They were able to work across the aisle and agree on settlement bills for each agency. And all of them passed by the house.

but. One final set of funding bills still needs to pass the Senate. And in that group is Department of Homeland Security funding. The plan was to pass it this week.

but. To pass the 60-vote procedural hurdle in the Senate, the bills need seven Democrats to vote yes.

And now, Senate Democrats are nearly united, with the exception of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, in saying they will not support the Department of Homeland Security funding bill, or anything related to it, without reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Senate has two options. Republicans could allow DHS funding to be delinked, paving the way for funding for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services and others.

Or Republicans could insist the bills stay together, risking the extreme risk that Democrats will block them and shut down those agencies.

There’s something different about this. Republicans are open to reforms to ICE, with some of them publicly critical of the situation regarding how the immigration crackdown has been deployed. The question is what to pass and how To get it passed. There is little time. The partial closure will begin on Saturday.

One note: ICE is the department least likely to be affected by the shutdown. In Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” Republicans gave ICE a $75 billion boost. That’s enough to operate for years without further funding from Congress.

When will we know? In the next day or two. The funding deadline is Friday. But any agreement to avoid a lockdown must emerge before then.

2. Impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem?

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem outside the White House on January 15. Photography by Evelyn Hochstein/Reuters

Any member of the House of Representatives can advance and force a vote to impeach a Cabinet official or president at any time.

Earlier this month, Democratic Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly filed articles of impeachment against Noem, but did not force a vote. The idea was discussed and controversial with some in the Democratic caucus at that point.

Now, after Pretty’s killing, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is pushing for Noem’s resignation, or else, he says, Democrats will push for impeachment.

Impeachment procedures require majority approval in the House of Representatives. (Conviction in the Senate is two-thirds.)

The House of Representatives currently includes 218 Republicans compared to 214 Democrats. But another Democrat should be elected next week in a special election in Texas. When this one is installed, it will be from 218 to 215.

If every Democrat votes to impeach Noem (which is not guaranteed), two Republicans will have to join them to impeach her.

Here too something is different. Two Republican senators have already said Noem should go. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, criticized Noem to reporters on Tuesday. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, was more tactful, saying: “I think it is probably time for her to step down.”

Trump mocked the two senators in a phone interview with ABC. But the potential harm here is real. High-ranking members of your party saying a key Cabinet official should go is rare and problematic for Republicans.

Now, are there enough votes to remove Noem from the Senate? no.

But pressure is mounting on Trump to fire her before impeachment. He is resisting so far. (Remember: He made sure to secure the approval of both Secretaries Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. despite the hurricane-force winds blowing against them.)

3. Maybe a separate bill about ICE

In general, Republicans do not want to impeach or partially shut down the president.

And on the Hill, many of them — including Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Katie Britt, R-Ala. -They work behind the scenes to try to come up with a plan C.

What is Plan C? Separate legislation to rein in ICE or express its limits.

Initially, Republicans offered the idea that Trump could issue clear executive orders to address concerns. But after speaking with a range of sources, it’s clear Democrats won’t trust the White House’s move.

But if there were separate legislation, what might it include that would address Democrats’ concerns and also win over enough Republicans in the House to pass it?

This is a tough needle to thread. But he might be the one to watch.

Unfortunately, threading a needle often takes time. And time is running out.

Friday seems far away in terms of weather changes. A blizzard could come. Or melt.

But as far as Congress is concerned, it’s almost upon us.