The U.S. Senate on Friday approved a sweeping $1.2 trillion spending agreement in a bipartisan vote aimed at averting a prolonged federal government shutdown, even as a short-term partial shutdown began early Saturday due to the House of Representatives’ delayed schedule.
The 71–29 vote advanced a compromise package funding most federal agencies through Sept. 30, while attaching a two-week temporary extension for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Because the House is not set to reconvene until Monday, the lapse triggered a brief funding gap for unfunded agencies.
The Senate-approved legislation bundles five full-year appropriations bills covering the Pentagon, State Department, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and other departments. DHS funding—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol operations—was carved out for a short-term extension as negotiations continue.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he had been in “constant contact” with House Speaker Mike Johnson, adding that Johnson is “prepared to do everything he can as quickly as possible” to move the package. “Hopefully things go well over there,” Thune said.
The agreement followed days of intense negotiations that included direct involvement from Donald Trump, who publicly urged lawmakers to pass the legislation after Democrats and the White House reached an accord Thursday. His intervention helped consolidate Republican support, with only five of 53 GOP senators voting no. Democrats were more divided, with 24 of 47 members opposing the measure, according to Politico.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins characterized the bills as “fiscally responsible” and the product of “months of hard work and deliberation from members on both parties and both sides of the Capitol.”
The package funds more than 95 percent of federal operations. Several departments—including Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and Justice—were already funded earlier, leaving DHS as the lone major agency without a full-year appropriation.
Democrats secured the separation of DHS funding for renegotiation following demands to address ICE practices after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old U.S. citizen Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota last week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who helped broker the deal, said the compromise met Democratic objectives. “The agreement we reached today did exactly what Democrats wanted,” Schumer said.
Schumer warned that Democrats would not support a long-term DHS bill absent changes to immigration enforcement, stating, “I want my Republican colleagues to listen closely: Senate Democrats will not support a DHS bill unless it reins in ICE and ends the violence. We will know soon enough if your colleagues understand the stakes.”
Republicans signaled their own priorities for upcoming talks. Sen. Lindsey Graham pressed for a future vote to bar federal funds to non-compliant “sanctuary cities,” arguing the move would address core failures in immigration enforcement.
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Id like to see Each spending bill with a bill to CUT fraud & waste as well
Make=+ BUT fraud bill is More than spending on CUTs