Johnson says no quick House vote to end partial shutdown and blames
Democrats for their ICE demands
[February 02, 2026]
By LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday it will be a
few days before a government funding package comes up for a vote, all
but ensuring the partial federal shutdown will drag into the week as
Democrats and Republicans debate reining in the Trump administration's
sweeping immigration enforcement operations.
Johnson signaled he is relying on help from President Donald Trump to
ensure passage. Trump struck a deal with senators to separate funding
for the Department of Homeland Security from a broader package after
public outrage over two shooting deaths during protests in Minneapolis
against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The measure approved Friday
by the Senate would fund DHS temporarily, for two weeks, setting up a
deadline for Congress to debate and vote on new restrictions on ICE
operations.
“The president is leading this,” Johnson, R-La., told “Fox News Sunday.”
“It’s his play call to do it this way," the speaker said, adding that
the Republican president has “already conceded that he wants to turn
down the volume” on federal immigration operations.
Johnson faces a daunting challenge ahead, trying to muscle the funding
legislation through the House while Democrats are refusing to provide
the votes for speedy passage. They are demanding restraints on ICE that
go beyond $20 million for body cameras that already is in the bill. They
want to require that federal immigration agents unmask and identify
themselves and are pressing for an end to roving patrols, amid other
changes.
Democrats dig in on ICE changes
“What is clear is that the Department of Homeland Security needs to be
dramatically reformed,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of
New York said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Jeffries said the administration needs to begin negotiations now, not
over the next two weeks, on changes to immigration enforcement
operations.
“Masks should come off," he said. “Judicial warrants should absolutely
be required consistent with the Constitution, in our view, before DHS
agents or ICE agents are breaking into the homes of the American people
or ripping people out of their cars.”
It's all forcing Johnson to rely on his slim House GOP majority in a
series of procedural votes, starting in committee on Monday and pushing
a potential House floor vote on the package until at least Tuesday, he
said.
House Democrats planned a private caucus call Sunday evening to assess
the next steps.
Partial government shutdown drags on
Meanwhile, a number of other federal agencies are snared in the funding
standoff as the government went into a partial shutdown over the
weekend.
Defense, health, transportation and housing are among those that were
given shutdown guidance by the administration, though many operations
are deemed essential and services are not necessarily interrupted.
Workers could go without pay if the impasse drags on. Some could be
furloughed.
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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club,
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla., as he arrives to attend
the wedding of White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and
Erin Elmore, the director of Art in Embassies at the U.S. Department
of State. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
This is the second time in a matter of months that federal
operations have been disrupted as Congress digs in, using the annual
funding process as leverage to extract policy changes. Last fall,
Democrats sparked what became the longest federal shutdown in
history, 43 days, as they protested the expiration of health
insurance tax breaks.
That shutdown ended with a promise to vote on proposals to extend
the Affordable Care Act tax credits. But the legislation did not
advance and Democrats were unable to achieve their goal of keeping
the subsidies in place. Insurance premiums spiked in the new year
for millions of people.
Trump wants quick end to shutdown
This time, the administration has signaled its interest in more
quickly resolving the shutdown.
Johnson said he was in the Oval Office last week when Trump, along
with border czar Tom Homan, spoke with Senate Democratic leader
Chuck Schumer of New York to work out the deal.
“I think we’re on the path to get agreement,” Johnson said on NBC's
“Meet the Press.”
Body cameras, which are already provided for in the package, and an
end to the roving patrols by immigration agents are areas of
potential agreement, Johnson said.
But he said taking the masks off and putting names on agents'
uniforms could lead to problems for law enforcement officers as they
are being targeted by the protesters and their personal information
is posted online.
“I don’t think the president would approve it — and he shouldn’t,”
Johnson said on Fox.
Democrats, however, said the immigration operations are out of
control, and it is an emergency situation that must end in
Minneapolis and other cities.
Growing numbers of lawmakers are calling for Homeland Security
Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired or impeached.
"What is happening in Minnesota right now is a dystopia," said Sen.
Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who led efforts to hold the line for more
changes.
“ICE is making this country less safe, not more safe today," Murphy
said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“Our focus over the next two weeks has to be reining in a lawless
and immoral immigration agency.”
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