#TrumpEndsShutdown President Donald Trump signed a $1.2 trillion funding package into law Tuesday afternoon just hours after the House approved the bill, ending a brief partial government shutdown that began early Saturday morning.
I’m thrilled to sign the Consolidated Appropriations Act to immediately reopen the federal government,” Trump said during a bill signing in the Oval Office, surrounded by Republican members of Congress.
While the agreement funds the vast majority of federal agencies through September, it leaves the Department of Homeland Security – which oversees agencies such as TSA and FEMA – funded only for two weeks, setting up a high-stakes confrontation over Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.
Democrats have labeled the department “rogue,” demanding changes to the operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January.
Absent a deal by the Feb. 13 deadline, DHS could face a funding lapse or be forced onto another short-term extension.
President Trump will be the ultimate decider of any policy changes on anything, especially with respect to immigration enforcement,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier Tuesday.
And House GOP leaders have signaled they may defer to Trump to lead negotiations with Democrats. “We will keep the wheels of progress turning and let the president do what he does best, and that’s negotiate a final deal on his signature issue,