The prospect of a quick end to the partial government shutdown just hit a massive roadblock. While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had already warned Speaker Mike Johnson not to count on Democratic votes, Representative Ro Khanna turned that warning into a crusade during a fiery appearance on Meet the Press Sunday morning.
Speaking with moderator Kristen Welker, Khanna didn’t just express doubt; he declared himself a “firm no” on the current funding package and pledged to rally his colleagues to follow suit.
His stance signals a deepening rift that could leave the government shuttered for the foreseeable future, as progressives refuse to blink over the issue of ICE funding.
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Khanna’s defiance centers on a massive budget increase for Immigration and Customs Enforcement—a $75 billion addition that he claims triples the agency’s previous resources. He pointed to a failed amendment by Senator Bernie Sanders that sought to strip those funds, noting that while every Senate Democrat supported the cut, the provision was left out of the final bill.
For Khanna and a growing bloc of House progressives, the issue has moved beyond simple policy and into the realm of civil liberties. He cited alarming reports from a recent trip to Minneapolis, describing ICE agents allegedly surveilling third-generation American citizens at churches and bookstores, calling the agency’s current operations a direct violation of constitutional rights.
This hardline stance puts Speaker Johnson in an almost impossible position. With Khanna actively advocating for a mass “no” vote among Democrats, Johnson can no longer rely on a bipartisan coalition to bypass his own party’s internal drama.
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Instead, he is forced to look to his own fractured GOP base, where the Freedom Caucus is already demanding even stricter measures and others are pushing for unrelated legislation like the SAVE Act.
Khanna suggested “bracketing” or separating the ICE funding to reopen the rest of the government, but with leadership on both sides dug in, that compromise remains a long shot.
As the House prepares to return Monday, the momentum has shifted from finding a deal to bracing for a long-term standoff.
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