The Lone Democratic Senator Who Voted for Funding DHS

With a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fast approaching, all but one Democratic Senator voted against advancing an appropriations bill to fund the department. Congressional Democrats have refused to pass an annual DHS funding bill without new restrictions on federal immigration enforcement as President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown draws widespread outcry. But Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a long-standing opponent of government shutdowns, on Thursday broke with his party and voted to advance a yearlong spending bill for the department that didn’t include such reforms. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Fetterman warned that declining to fund DHS would have “zero impact on ICE functionality” but would impact other agencies housed under the department. “Shutting DHS down has zero impact and zero changes for ICE. ICE already has $75B in funding from the BBB that I did not vote for,” Fetterman said in a video posted to his X account, referencing Trump’s“Big, Beautiful Bill.” The massive domestic policy bill included a hefty supplement to ICE’s base budget that the agency could tap amid the looming lapse in appropriations.  “But it will hit FEMA, Coast Guard, TSA and our Cybersecurity Agency,” Fetterman continued., “As a Democrat, I can’t vote to shut down critical parts of our government.” Read more: Looming Shutdown Could Mean Airport Delays as TSA Agents Face Work Without Pay DHS is set to shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday without a clear end in sight after lawmakers left Washington for a scheduled week-long recess on Thursday still unable…

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