Trump Approves Deal Keeping DHS Funding At Current Levels, Averting Shutdown

A budget standoff over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency ended Thursday with an agreement meant to avert another federal government shutdown, with funding for DHS separated from the rest of the 2026 appropriations package.

“The 2026 midterm election reached a familiar juncture this week: the one where we learn the president’s party aims to make it a “choice” rather than a “referendum”

CNN

Multiple outlets tied the urgency to the deaths of two American citizens, Alex Pretti and Renée Good, who were shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis, and to the political pressure that followed.

CNN

Euronews reported that President Donald Trump approved the agreement between Senate Democrats and Republicans to keep DHS funding at current levels for two weeks, while negotiations continue over Democrats’ demands to curb ICE activities.

Telemundo Washington DC said funding would be temporarily interrupted for several agencies starting at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, and it reported a Senate test vote of 45–55 as Democrats warned of a partial shutdown when funds ran out on Friday.

EFE reported that the agreement would avert a new shutdown at midnight on Friday, and it said DHS funding would remain at current levels and unchanged through February 13 with a continuing resolution.

In parallel, RTVE.es said the spending bills must be approved by midnight this Friday, January 30, to avoid a federal government shutdown, and it warned that if appropriations are not approved, departments, the Pentagon, and the network of museums and national parks would not be able to continue paying employees’ salaries.

Trump framed the deal publicly on Truth Social, writing, "Republicans and Democrats in Congress have agreed to fund the vast majority of the government through September," and adding, "Hopefully Republicans and Democrats will back it with an indispensable bipartisan vote."

The agreement’s immediate political catalyst was the Minneapolis killings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good by federal agents, which multiple reports described as breaking the budget consensus and intensifying demands for DHS and ICE reforms.

Euronews said the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renée Good, 37, who were shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis, came as negotiations over DHS funding were already underway, and it described the dispute as centered on whether Democrats could curb ICE activities.

EFE

Telemundo Washington DC said the DHS-ICE dispute peaked after the killings of two American citizens in Minneapolis, and it described Democrats’ warning of a partial shutdown when funds ran out on Friday.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis had “shaken the country,” and it said both sides agreed to separate DHS funding from the rest of the package while negotiating new restrictions on the expansion of immigration enforcement operations.

EFE said negotiations focused on how long the continuing resolution would last, which would be two weeks as Democrats demanded, to pressure DHS and ICE to change aggressive tactics that had led to the deaths of two civilians shot by federal agents in Minneapolis.

EL PAÍS similarly described Democrats’ push for reforms after the killing last Saturday in Minneapolis of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, at the hands of federal agents, and it said Democrats demanded measures including body cameras, identification, and prohibiting disguising themselves.

RTVE.es added that the shooting death of Alex Pretti, the second American victim killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis after Renee Good, broke the consensus and caused Democrats to backtrack.

In the middle of the negotiations, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the moment as a moral test, saying, "What ICE is doing, outside the law, is a brutality sanctioned by the state, and it must end."

As the deal was negotiated, Democrats and Republicans argued over what restrictions should be tied to DHS and ICE funding, with multiple outlets describing the sticking points as duration and enforceable oversight.

“With barely 24 hours left before the deadline, Senate Democrats and the White House had reached an agreement to avert a partial shutdown of the U”

EL PAÍS

Telemundo Washington DC said the last sticking point was the duration of DHS funding via the continuing resolution or CR, and it reported that both sides agreed to a two-week CR that would keep DHS running through February 13.

EFE described the negotiation as focused on how long the resolution would last, with Democrats demanding two weeks to pressure DHS and ICE to change aggressive tactics, and it said the Senate rejected a procedural vote to debate the budget bill in order to press for reforms including prohibiting ICE agents from wearing balaclavas and forcing them to use portable body cameras.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Democrats’ demands included asking the White House to “put an end to roaming patrols” in cities and to coordinate with local authorities in immigration arrests, while also seeking an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held to account when they violate rules.

It also quoted Schumer saying, "The American people support law enforcement. They support border security. They do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens," and it quoted Minnesota Senator Tina Smith saying, "There has to be accountability."

EL PAÍS described Democrats’ demands as requiring federal agents to wear body cameras, require them to display identification and prohibit disguising themselves, and it said Democrats also wanted warrants to access private properties such as citizens’ homes.

Euronews said negotiations continued around Democrats’ demands to curb ICE activities, which opponents say are exorbitant and not adequately controlled, and it noted that Senate Democrats had voted Thursday to block legislation to fund DHS.

In the Senate, Telemundo Washington DC reported a test vote of 45–55, and it said the House would need to approve the legislation and send it to the White House for President Trump’s signature.

Meanwhile, Trump urged lawmakers to move quickly, writing that members should cast a "very necessary bipartisan Yes vote," and he said, "Republicans and Democrats have come together to fund the vast majority of the government through September," while extending current funding for DHS.

While the core facts of a DHS split and a two-week extension recurred across coverage, the outlets emphasized different political meanings and different details about what was at stake.

Euronews framed the agreement as a bipartisan budget maneuver aimed at averting a shutdown, and it highlighted Trump’s Truth Social message that Republicans and Democrats had agreed to fund most of the government through September while extending DHS funding for two weeks.

Euronews

Telemundo Washington DC focused on procedural timing and the risk of a partial shutdown, reporting that a Senate vote could occur as soon as Thursday night and that the House would need to approve the legislation after returning to Washington on Monday.

EFE emphasized the negotiation mechanics and the reforms being pressed for, describing a continuing resolution through February 13 and citing The Hill for the claim that DHS funding would remain at current levels and unchanged.

The Los Angeles Times centered its narrative on the reforms Democrats wanted, quoting Schumer’s argument that the public does not support “ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” and it described Democrats’ demands for agents to follow rules “as the local police department.”

EL PAÍS, by contrast, stressed the scale of the overall appropriations package, saying the Senate had until midnight Friday to approve six appropriations bills totaling $1.3 trillion, representing about 75% of federal spending, and it added that under the National Security budget, led by Secretary Kristi Noem, fall responsibilities including ICE and the U.S. Border Patrol.

RTVE.es highlighted the deadline and the operational consequences, saying the House had closed its sessions until Monday and that parts of the federal government would have to shut down over the weekend when spending bills expire at midnight this Friday.

Even within the same story, the political language differed: Schumer called it the “moment of truth,” while Trump insisted he was working to avoid a shutdown and said, "I don’t think the Democrats either want a shutdown, so we will work in a bipartisan manner to avoid it."

The divergence in framing also appeared in how each outlet described the Senate’s leverage and the House’s constraints, with Telemundo Washington DC describing Democrats’ leverage through the 45–55 test vote and RTVE.es warning that the deal might come too late.

Even with the agreement announced Thursday, the next steps and the remaining political risks were still unresolved, according to multiple reports.

“WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers and the White House reached on Thursday an agreement to avoid a partial government shutdown and to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security while negotiating new restrictions on the expansion of immigration enforcement operations by President Donald Trump”

Los Angeles Times

Telemundo Washington DC said the House of Representatives, which returns to Washington on Monday, would need to approve the legislation and send it to the White House for President Trump’s signature, and it described a Thursday test vote of 45–55 as Democrats warned of a partial shutdown when funds ran out on Friday.

Los Angeles Times

EFE said the agreement came after the Senate rejected a procedural vote to debate the budget bill, and it described the reforms being sought, including prohibiting ICE agents from wearing balaclavas and forcing portable body cameras.

EL PAÍS warned that despite the agreement, it was “not clear that the partial government shutdown can be avoided even for a few hours,” because any modification would have to go through the House, which had already approved the package but would need to approve it again.

RTVE.es similarly said the deal may come too late, noting that the House closed its sessions until Monday and that many lawmakers were out of Washington, with parts of the federal government potentially shutting down over the weekend when spending bills expire at midnight this Friday.

Euronews said negotiations on the final deal related to the Homeland Security bill were expected to be difficult, and it added that Democrats want to end what they see as the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown, but it is unlikely Republicans will agree to all of their demands.

The Los Angeles Times described the political stakes as a standoff that could “plunge the country into another government shutdown barely two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill due to the expiration of federal health subsidies,” and it said that shutdown ended only when a small group of moderate Democrats broke ranks to reach an agreement.

It also quoted Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal saying, "If the federal government opposes the reforms, we shut down the agency," and it reported that Republicans were seeking a longer extension for DHS but that both sides were “getting closer,” according to Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

In the background of the negotiations, the reports also pointed to the broader political calendar and the administration’s involvement, with Trump saying on Thursday that he was “close” to reaching an agreement and that he did not believe the government would fall into a new shutdown.