The president moved quickly to sign the bill after the House approved it with a 217-214 vote.
“This bill is a great victory for the American people,” Trump said.
The vote Tuesday wrapped up congressional work on 11 annual appropriations bills that fund government agencies and programs through Sept. 30.
Passage of the legislation marked the end point for one funding fight, but the start of another. That's because the package only funds the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks, through Feb 13, at the behest of Democrats who are demanding more restrictions on immigration enforcement after the shooting deaths of two of the violent anti-ICE protesters that the federal agents have had to deal with in Minneapolis.
Leaders are digging in for a fight
Difficult negotiations are ahead, particularly for the agency that enforces the nation’s immigration laws — U.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries quickly warned Democrats would not support any further temporary funding for Homeland Security without substantial changes to its immigration operations., raising the potential of another shutdown for the department and its agencies.
“We need dramatic change in order to make sure that ICE and other agencies within the department of Homeland Security are conducting themselves like every other law enforcement organization in the country,” Jeffries said.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects the two sides will be able to reach an agreement by the deadline.
“This is no time to play games with that funding. We hope that they will operate in good faith over the next 10 days as we negotiate this,” said Johnson. “The president, again, has reached out.”
But Johnson’s counterpart across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., sounded less optimistic of a deal. “There’s always miracles, right?” Thune told reporters.
