Trump presses House to pass Senate spending deal as shutdown drags on

President Trump on Monday urged House lawmakers to approve the bipartisan spending agreement passed by the Senate last week, pressing them to drop additional policy demands and move quickly to end the partial government shutdown.

“We need to get the Government open, and I hope all Republicans and Democrats will join me in supporting this Bill, and send it to my desk WITHOUT DELAY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There can be NO CHANGES at this time.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) is aiming to bring the $1.2 trillion package to the floor as early as Tuesday. The measure would fund much of the federal government through the end of the fiscal year, while extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security for only two weeks. That short-term DHS extension is intended to give lawmakers time to negotiate a bipartisan agreement on tougher immigration enforcement policies.

Some conservative Republicans, including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Chip Roy of Texas, have pushed to attach the VOTE Act, which would require voters to present identification at the polls. Democrats oppose the proposal, arguing it would discourage voter participation. While most states require some form of voter identification, many include exceptions.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) warned Monday that adding the VOTE Act would doom the legislation, calling it a “poison pill that will kill any legislation that it is attached to.”

Any changes made by the House would force the bill back to the Senate, prolonging the shutdown.

Although the package cleared the Senate with support from nearly half of Democrats, prospects in the House are more uncertain. Republicans are expected to rely largely on their own votes, as many House Democrats say they want changes to the administration’s approach in Minneapolis and other cities before backing additional DHS funding.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said Monday that some Democrats are likely to support the bill but made clear they would not help Republicans advance the procedural rule vote, which is typically handled by the majority party.

“My Republican colleagues have spent the last year lecturing the country that they have some massive mandate,” Jeffries said. “If they have some massive mandate, then go pass your rule.”

With a slim House majority, Johnson will need near-unanimous Republican support to pass the measure. Even as Trump called for party unity, he renewed his criticism of Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), labeling him an “absolutely terrible and unreliable ‘Republican.’”

Trump has said he does not want law enforcement efforts hindered and has argued that protesters who harm officers should face punishment. At the same time, the administration is seeking to avoid further unrest and plans to reduce the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis, according to a White House official.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that the administration will provide body cameras to federal officers operating in Minneapolis.

The partial government shutdown began Saturday. Congress has approved six of the 12 annual appropriations bills needed to fund the government. The House passed the remaining six—including Defense and DHS—last month, but Senate consideration stalled after an immigration enforcement agent killed a protester in Minneapolis. The incident angered Democrats, who demanded policy changes as a condition for funding, leading to negotiations that produced the revised package separating DHS funding from the rest of the bills.