Democratic senators voted to block a funding bill for the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) before the deadline of Friday (13), increasing the chances of a shutdown of the agency that manages, among other areas, FEMA, the TSA, the Coast Guard and ICE.
The vote was 52 to 47. 60 votes were needed for approval.
After the vote, the senators left Washington for a planned week-long recess.
Republican leader John Thune said he will call them back to Washington if there is an agreement between Democrats and the White House on changes to federal immigration tactics.
Democrats later blocked a two-week extension on funding. Republican Sen. Katie Britt, the Senate’s lead Republican negotiator, introduced the stopgap bill on the floor, but Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy opposed it, shortly after Democratic senators voted to block the previous funding package for DHS.
