Loading …The silent halls of the U.S. Capitol are vibrating with the tension of a looming Friday deadline as a long – standing Republican consensus begins to dissolve. With less than 72 hours until a partial government shutdown, a group of high – profile defectors is challenging the “all or nothing” approach that has defined the party’s strategy for the last year.
Discussion
Great plan if you can get Schumer and the rest of the demonrats to go along.
Senate Republicans need to stop playing games and get behind Trump’s America First agenda. Splitting the package ain't gonna save us from the Dems wrecking our homeland security! MAGA patriots stand strong! Time for real leadership, not this RINO nonsense! Trump 2024!!
Dems only push for chaos! Trump's strong leadership never would have allowed this mess!
This division among Senate Republicans is concerning. Our focus should be on upholding the Constitution and ensuring our homeland security isn't compromised by political antics. I miss the days when our party stood firm on these principles. Let's hope for sound decisions over party games.
Agree 100%! We need to keep our borders strong and prioritize America first above all else. It's time politicians stop with the games and put the safety of American citizens before anything else. Homeland security ain't a bargaining chip, it’s our nation’s shield!
Why can't the RINOs get their act together?! Separatin' funding is just playin' into the Dems' hands. Stick with the plan or we'll end up with more of Biden's chaos. Trump knew how to get things done, unlike these flip-floppers. Stand united! 🇺🇸💪 #MAGA
Masked criminal police state thugs invading homes without a judicial warrant is unconstitutional.
Murdering US citizens exercising their constitutional rights is treasonous.
Spoken like a true liberal who only watches cnn and ms now.
We need to start working against all of the Rino's and get them out of office. They are not listening to their constituents and need to be reminded of they work for. It's time for the Republican Party to develop a spine and hold to enforcing the constitution. The leadership of the Republican Party is weak kneed and should be replaced with strong decisive leaders. Enough of this nonsense.
Liberals are brain dead
I strongly urge the Senate Republicans to unite and fight Schumer and the rest of his clowns. A split budget won't solve anything, because the demonrats will continue to hold the country hostage. The demonrats have been signaling for a month now about shutting the government down again. They don't care what the issue is, Minnesota is just fueling their stupidity.
Don't cave to the illogical antics.
Another stupid Schumer temper tantrum, after being totally spoiled by backroom deals with the Obama and Biden administrations.
The split strategy won't work with the House in recess
I’m sick of democrats tantrums and hatred of Trump and willing to make We the People suffer just to blackmail and get theyre way! Stop the BSBickering do your damn jobs and if you shut it down over Schumer, Jefferies, Waters, Pelosi, the Squad, Booker, Nadler, Warren, Presley, Crockett and other they should not get paid! Period- they are thee to do a job and we the taxpayers are sick of theyre childish blackmailing tactics Get it passed!
" We are a nation of laws" We do not get to pick an choose which ones we enforce and which ones we don't. If you don't like the law, lobby the legislature to change it.
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The Mutiny of the Appropriators
As the January 30 deadline approaches, the Republican unified front has begun to show visible cracks. Three prominent members of the Senate Appropriations Committee – John Kennedy of Louisiana, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – have signaled their willingness to break with leadership.
Their proposal is as simple as it is controversial: strip the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding from the broader $1.2 trillion spending package to protect the rest of the federal government.
This “split” strategy is designed to fund roughly 96% of the federal government’s remaining discretionary budget while leaving the embattled DHS to face a temporary funding lapse.
Senator Kennedy characterized this as the “smart play,” arguing that it is better to fight over the specifics of immigration enforcement while keeping agencies like the Treasury and Department of Defense operational. However, the math remains harrowing for the proponents of this plan; to bypass a filibuster, at least 13 Republicans would need to join a unified Democratic caucus, a threshold that remains out of reach for now.
The internal GOP struggle highlights a fundamental question of Legislative Power. If the Senate cannot agree on a unified package, it effectively hands the initiative back to an executive branch that has already demonstrated a penchant for bypassing traditional congressional oversight.
For those currently rebelling, the risk of a total shutdown is no longer worth the political price of defending an “unaccountable” agency.
The 96% Solution vs. the OBBBA Slush Fund
The current legislative standoff is complicated by a unique fiscal reality that most Americans may not fully grasp. Even if the DHS funding bill fails and the department enters a partial shutdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not run out of money. This is due to a massive $75 billion supplementary fund established by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) passed earlier in the Trump administration.+1
- ICE Independence: The OBBBA provided $45 billion for detention expansion and $30 billion for personnel that remains available through 2029.
- FEMA and TSA at Risk: While ICE is insulated, a shutdown would immediately freeze funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.
- The 12 Bills: Congress has already successfully funded six of the twelve annual appropriations bills, leaving this final “minibus” as the last hurdle to full – year funding.
For constitutional watchdogs, this creates a dangerous imbalance of power. When a federal agency is granted a multi – year “slush fund” through reconciliation, it effectively neuters the annual “Power of the Purse” that the Founders intended to be the ultimate check on executive overreach.
Senator Markwayne Mullin has pointed to this fund as a position of strength, but critics argue it allows the administration to maintain its “Operation Metro Surge” in cities like Minneapolis even if Congress refuses to authorize new spending.
The Minneapolis Catalyst: Alex Pretti and the First Amendment
The momentum for this legislative rebellion shifted dramatically following the Saturday shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Pretti, a 37 – year – old ICU nurse, was fatally shot by federal agents during a confrontation that was captured on video and shared globally. This incident, following the death of Renee Good earlier this month, has transformed the DHS funding debate into a battle over Civil Liberties.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has used the outrage over Pretti’s death to harden the Democratic position, demanding a series of “common sense” reforms that Republicans have so far rejected. These demands have become the primary “poison pills” that are stalling the current negotiations.
- Masks Off Policy: Democrats are demanding that all federal immigration agents remain unmasked during domestic operations to ensure personal accountability.
- Body Camera Mandate: The proposal would require “always – on” body cameras for any agent operating within the interior of the United States.
- Roving Patrol Ban: A proposed end to the practice of federal agents conducting door – to – door searches or “surges” without specific judicial warrants.
Republican Senator James Lankford has pushed back against these requirements, arguing that a ban on masks would only empower protesters to “dox” agents and put their families at risk. This creates a direct conflict between the privacy rights of law enforcement officers and the transparency requirements of a democratic government.
How We Got Here: The Erosion of the 1974 Budget Act
The current dysfunction is the latest symptom of a decades – long decline in the “regular order” of the U.S. budget process. To understand why we are facing a shutdown over a “minibus” in late January, one must look at the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
- 1974: Congress passes the act to prevent President Richard Nixon from “impounding” funds for programs he disliked, establishing the modern budget timeline.
- The Goal: All twelve appropriations bills were supposed to be passed individually by October 1st of each year.
- The Reality: For most of the 21st century, Congress has relied on “Continuing Resolutions” (CRs) and massive “Omnibus” packages to avoid shutdowns at the last minute.
The 2026 funding cycle was supposed to be a return to the regular order promised by Speaker Mike Johnson. While the House completed its work on all twelve bills, the Senate has remained bogged down in a series of “procedural filibusters.”
By bundling the final six bills into a single “all – or – nothing” package, leadership on both sides has created a situation where a disagreement over a single agency (DHS) can threaten the salaries of millions of federal workers.
The 60 – Vote Wall and the Final Countdown
As the clock ticks toward Friday night, the focus remains on the 60 – vote cloture threshold in the Senate. Republicans currently control 53 seats, meaning they need seven Democrats to cross the aisle to pass the full package.
If the “rebel” Republicans like Kennedy and Murkowski withhold their votes or demand a split, that number climbs even higher.
This is a classic test of Senate Brinkmanship. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is attempting to hold a firm line, betting that Democrats will blink when faced with the prospect of an unpopular shutdown that affects FEMA and TSA. Conversely, Democrats are betting that the public outcry over the “militarized” tactics in Minneapolis has made the DHS bill politically radioactive.
The “James” perspective is that we are witnessing the total collapse of the cooperative federalism that used to govern the budget process. When one side views an agency as an “army of occupation” and the other views it as the “shield of the republic,” the common ground of a compromise budget disappears.
“We want to do as much as we can,” Senator Mike Rounds noted, reflecting the pragmatism of the appropriators. “And it is a possibility of doing the five bills and then bringing back in the other one on a short – term continuing resolution.”
If the Senate proceeds with a procedural vote on Thursday for all six bills as a single package, it will be a “dare” to the Democratic caucus. If the vote fails, the nation will enter its second government shutdown in as many years. The resolution of this crisis will determine if the Legislative Branch can still wield its power as a scalpel, or if it has become a blunt instrument that can only be used to create chaos.
The idea of stripping DHS funding from the rest of the spending package feels a bit risky. I wish we could get back to focusing on core conservative principles like fiscal responsibility and true constitutional governance. Too many sideshows these days, it's exhausting. Let's keep the homeland secure without all this drama!