By Euronews
Published on
US President Donald Trump endorsed a deal that was struck on Thursday between Senate Democrats and Republicans to avoid a government shutdown and temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The two sides agreed to separate homeland security funding from a larger spending bill and fund the department for two weeks as talks continue on demands made by the Democrats for curbs on the agency of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is part of the DHS.
“Republicans and Democrats have come together to get the vast majority of the government funded until September,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, “Hopefully, both Republicans and Democrats will give a very much needed Bipartisan “YES” Vote”.
The deal comes after Senate Democrats voted on Thursday to block legislation to fund the DHS. The Democrats requested the two-week extension, and said they would block the wide-ranging spending bill if their demands aren’t met, which would trigger another shutdown.
Only two months, Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, which had closed the government for 43 days.
The move follows the fatal shooting of two US citizens, 37-year-old Alex Pretti and 37-year-old Renee Good, at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.
The country’s previous shutdown had ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away and struck a deal with the Republicans, but this time, the Democrats are more unified following the deaths of Pretti and Good.
Senators in both parties have also called for a full investigation into the death of Pretti, which Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called a “moment of truth”.
However, negotiations on the final agreement on the Homeland Security bill are likely to be difficult. Democrats want Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown to end, but Republicans are unlikely to agree to all of the Democrats’ demands.
Additional sources • AP