US federal funding is now hanging in the balance after the deaths of two American citizens at the hands of federal agents sparked sharp resistance in the Senate against upcoming government spending bills tied to former President Donald Trump’s policies.
On Saturday, multiple US senators announced they would vote against the new spending measures, significantly raising the risk of a government shutdown as early as next week. Funding for major parts of the federal government, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon, is set to expire on January 31.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has already passed a funding plan that would extend government operations through September. However, the bill still needs Senate approval. While Republicans hold a narrow majority in the 100-member Senate, they do not have enough votes to pass the legislation without support from Democratic lawmakers.
Republican leaders had hoped to secure a handful of Democratic votes, even though the package includes full funding for the Department of Homeland Security, the agency responsible for implementing Trump’s highly controversial immigration policies.
That support now appears to be slipping away. Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, considered one of the key swing votes, said she would not back the current Homeland Security funding bill following the latest killing in Minneapolis.
In a statement, she accused the Trump administration and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem of placing “undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability.”
The most recent victim, Alex Pretti, was a 37-year-old nurse from Minneapolis. His death occurred just three weeks after another Minnesota resident, 37-year-old Renee Good, was also shot and killed by a federal agent, intensifying public outrage and political pressure.
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia echoed those concerns, calling the situation a “brutal crackdown” that must end. He said he could not support funding for DHS while the administration continues what he described as violent federal interventions in US cities.
The stakes are high. The longest government shutdown in US history ended only last November after lasting 43 days, during which hundreds of thousands of federal workers were furloughed or forced to work without pay. Under Senate rules, spending bills require at least 60 votes to pass. As more Democrats withdraw their support, the likelihood of another shutdown just months after the last one is steadily increasing.
At its core, this moment is no longer just about budgets or party lines. It is about trust, accountability, and the value placed on human life. As families mourn and lawmakers argue, the nation is once again left waiting, uncertain whether its government will remain open or grind to a halt over unresolved questions of power, responsibility, and justice.
