Trump approves spending bill, US government shutdown ends

President Donald Trump – (Web Desk) – President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a spending bill that ended a four‑day partial U.S. government shutdown. The brief closure began after Democrats refused to support funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to concerns about federal immigration enforcement. The measure reached Trump’s desk after passing the Republican‑controlled House by a narrow 217‑214 vote.

Twenty‑one Democrats broke with their party to back the funding package, while an equal number of Republicans opposed it because they did not want to drop demands for changes to DHS policy.

Immigration enforcement has become a flashpoint in the spending battle after two U.S. citizens were recently killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, sparking protests and intensified debate in Congress.

The Senate had already approved a broader funding package that included most federal agencies through September and a short extension for DHS, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate immigration policy.

Trump, who presided over a record 43-day government shutdown last summer, had been pressuring Republicans to adopt the spending bill and end the closure which began on Saturday.

“This bill is a great victory for the American people,” he said at the White House signing ceremony.

“Instead of a bloated and wasteful omnibus monstrosity full of special interest handouts, we’ve succeeded in passing a fiscally responsible package that actually cuts wasteful federal spending while supporting critical programs for the safety, security and prosperity of the American people,” he added.
Democrats in the House had demanded changes to the way DHS conducts its immigration sweeps — with heavily armed, masked and unidentified agents who have detained people without warrants — before voting on the spending package.

Some concessions have already been made amid Democratic pressure and national outcry after agents shot and killed Renee Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, a nurse who worked with military veterans, in Minneapolis last month.

On Monday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said federal agents in the city would wear body cameras “effective immediately” in a move that would be later “expanded nationwide.”

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Lawmakers now have just two weeks to negotiate a full-year DHS funding bill.

Both parties acknowledge the talks will be politically fraught as Democrats demand new guardrails on immigration enforcement and conservatives push their own policy priorities.

Shutdowns temporarily freeze funding for non-essential federal operations, forcing agencies to halt services, place workers on unpaid leave or require them to work without pay.