参议院多数党领袖、南达科他州共和党人约翰·图恩周二安排了周四对这一包含六项法案的关键测试投票。此举为参议院共和党人争取了时间，以便与要求对国土安全部（DHS）实施多项限制的参议院民主党人达成协议。
共和党人急于找到一个不涉及修改当前资金方案的中间立场，因为修改方案几乎肯定会导致政府停摆，并危及包括五角大楼在内的其他几个联邦机构的资金。
图恩强力推进法案，民主党国土安全部反抗失败，费特曼倒戈，舒默面临压力
参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩（R-S.D.）安排了一项关键测试投票，以避免部分政府停摆，因为民主党人的抵制威胁将华盛顿特区推向混乱。（Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images）
但民主党人目前不愿让步，除非国土安全部法案被剥离和搁置。
参议院拨款委员会主席、缅因州共和党人苏珊·柯林斯表示，她周一与国土安全部部长克里斯蒂·诺姆进行了交谈，但不会透露谈话细节。
柯林斯所在的家乡也是诺姆和美国移民海关执法局（ICE）的目标，她指出，当前的国土安全部资金法案中已经纳入了两党支持的限制和改革，例如2000万美元用于配备执法记录仪，以及多项报告要求，若未满足这些要求，将停止向移民行动拨款。
但如果有必要，还可以采取更多措施。
柯林斯说：”我认为可能有办法增加一些进一步的改革或程序保护措施，但这些讨论仍在进行中，并且确实涉及[图恩]。”
民主党威胁国土安全部停摆将影响联邦紧急事务管理局和运输安全管理局，移民资金却不受影响
参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默（D-N.Y.）宣布，在明尼苏达州边境巡逻队特工致命枪击事件发生后，参议院民主党人不会支持为国土安全部提供资金的法案。（Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images）
参议院民主党人在周末明尼阿波利斯边境巡逻队特工枪杀亚历克斯·普雷蒂后迅速达成一致，反对该法案。大约两周前，蕾妮·妮可·古德在车内被ICE特工枪杀。
图恩表示：”我理解这如何改变了讨论的方向，但我仍然认为，如果民主党人希望在国土安全部法案中纳入某些内容，或者在这种情况下解决某些问题，他们应该明确提出并表明政府在多大程度上能够解决这些问题。因此，我更希望能够将整个方案保持在一起。”
但参议院民主党人似乎准备拒绝政府或唐纳德·特朗普总统就此事采取的任何行政行动。
参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默（D-N.Y.）在参议院表示，”参议院绝不能通过目前的国土安全部预算。”
舒默说：”必须对其进行修改，以约束并全面改革移民和海关执法局，确保公众安全。解决方案应由国会制定。公众不能相信政府会自行采取正确行动。”
即使参议院民主党人成功阻止了国土安全部资金法案，该机构在去年共和党通过唐纳德·特朗普总统的标志性”大规模、漂亮法案”后，仍然拥有数十亿美元的纳税人资金。
亚利桑那州民主党参议员鲁本·加列戈在虚拟新闻发布会上表示，考虑到这一现实，民主党人”无论如何都必须尝试”。
明尼苏达州ICE枪击事件后，参议院民主党人威胁通过阻挠国土安全部资金引发停摆
参议员苏珊·柯林斯（R-Maine）正在与参议院民主党人谈判，以避免政府停摆。（Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images）
加列戈说：”如果[诺姆]不需要这笔钱，那么她确实不需要，但我们仍然可以对这些人如何行事施加一些合理的限制。”
另一个现实是，议员们距离1月30日的最后期限已所剩无几，需要尽快想出解决方案。
周四的投票如果成功，将在参议院引发数小时的关于资金方案的辩论，消耗宝贵时间，并将支出法案的最终通过时间推向午夜的最后期限。
截止日期带来的压力以及民主党人几天前突然的立场转变，使共和党人陷入混乱。
参议院国土安全部拨款委员会主席、阿拉巴马州共和党人凯蒂·布里特将在任何达成的协议中成为关键人物，因为她帮助结束了去年的上一次政府停摆。
她告诉记者，”政府停摆对任何人都没有帮助”，但指出前进的道路”尚未确定”。
布里特说：”我们真的必须齐心协力，找出如何做出有意义的调整，使我们能够推进这些法案。这就是我们正在寻求的。”
亚历克斯·米勒是福克斯新闻数字版的记者，报道美国参议院。
Senate Republicans are marching forward with a massive funding package to avert a partial government shutdown despite Senate Democrats doubling down on their resistance to the Homeland Security funding bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Tuesday teed up a key test vote for the six-bill package for Thursday. The move allows Senate Republicans time to hash out a deal with Senate Democrats, who are demanding several restrictions on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Republicans are eager to find a middle ground that doesn’t involve modifying the current funding package given that doing so would almost guarantee a government shutdown and jeopardize funding to several other federal agencies, including the Pentagon.
THUNE STEAMROLLS DEMS’ DHS REVOLT AS FETTERMAN DEFECTS, SCHUMER UNDER PRESSURE
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teed up a key test vote on a funding package to avert a partial government shutdown as Democratic resistance threatens to thrust Washington, D.C., into chaos.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
But Democrats aren’t willing to budge, for now, until the DHS bill is stripped and sidelined.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she spoke with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Monday but wouldn’t reveal details of the conversation.
Collins, whose home state is also a target of Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), noted there were already bipartisan restrictions and reforms baked into the current DHS funding bill, like $20 million for body cams and numerous reporting requirements that, if not met, would halt money flowing to immigration operations.
But more could be done if needed.
“I think there might be a way to add some further reforms or procedural protections, but those discussions are ongoing and really involve [Thune],” Collins said.
DEMS’ DHS SHUTDOWN THREAT WOULD HIT FEMA, TSA WHILE IMMIGRATION FUNDING REMAINS INTACT
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced that Senate Democrats would not support a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a fatal shooting involving a Border Patrol agent in Minnesota.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Senate Democrats’ rapid unity against the bill came after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis over the weekend. Roughly two weeks before that, Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent in her vehicle.
“I understand how this has changed the conversation, but I still think if there are things the Democrats want in the Homeland bill or addressed in the context of the situation that they ought to make those clear and known and see to what degree the administration may be able to address them,” Thune said. “So, I would prefer that there be a way that we keep the package together.”
But Senate Democrats appear ready to reject any executive action taken by the administration or President Donald Trump on the matter.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., argued on the Senate floor that the “Senate must not pass the DHS budget as currently written.”
“And it must be reworked to rein in and overhaul ICE to ensure the public’s safety,” Schumer said. “The fix should come from Congress. The public can’t trust the administration to do the right thing on its own.”
Even if Senate Democrats are successful in their gambit and halt the DHS funding bill, the agency is still flush with billions in taxpayer dollars after Republicans’ passage of President Donald Trump’s signature “big, beautiful bill” last year.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said during a virtual news conference that, given that reality, Democrats “have to try no matter what.”
SENATE DEMOCRATS THREATEN SHUTDOWN BY BLOCKING DHS FUNDING AFTER MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is negotiating with Senate Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“Look, if [Noem] doesn’t need the money, then she doesn’t need the money, but we can still have some legitimate restrictions on how these people are conducting themselves,” Gallego said.
The other reality is that lawmakers are fast running out of time to concoct a solution by the Jan. 30 deadline.
Thursday’s vote, if successful, would tee up several hours of debate on the funding package in the Senate, eating away at valuable time and pushing final passage of the spending bills right to the midnight deadline.
The pressure created by the deadline and Democrats’ sudden reversal from just days before has Republicans scrambling.
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Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Committee, will be a key figure in any deal that emerges since she helped bring an end to the previous shutdown last year.
She told reporters a “government shutdown does not help anyone” but noted a path forward “is yet to be determined.”
“We’re really going to have to put our heads together and figure out how we can make meaningful adjustments that would allow us to move these bills,” Britt said. “And, so, that’s what we are looking for.”
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
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