A tense standoff in Washington is threatening to shut down the government this week. On Sunday, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy went on CNN and drew a hard line in the sand. He said his party refuses to vote for a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), claiming the agency is currently “murdering American citizens.”
The strong words come just days before the January 30 deadline to keep the government open. The main spark for this new battle is the recent death of Alex Pretti. Pretti, 37, was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, backed Murphy up. In a statement on Saturday, Schumer vowed that Democrats would not give the votes needed to pass the spending package if it included money for the DHS. He later posted on X that Pretti was “killed in broad daylight” and accused the Trump administration of lying about what happened.
READ: “Victim” Or “Suspect”? Border Patrol Chief And CNN Host Clash Over Deadly Minnesota Shooting
Murphy explained the party’s stance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” When host Dana Bash asked about Schumer’s comments, Murphy didn’t hold back.
“Well, we can’t vote to fund this lawless Department of Homeland Security,” Murphy said. He argued that the problems go beyond just the shooting in Minnesota. He described a trip to Texas the previous week, where he claimed agents were locking up young children legally in the U.S. just to traumatize them.
“I swore an oath to the Constitution,” Murphy told Bash. “We cannot fund a Department of Homeland Security that is murdering American citizens, that is traumatizing little boys and girls all across the country.”
For the spending bill to pass and avoid a partial shutdown, Republicans need help. Assuming every Republican votes “yes,” they still need at least seven Democrats to join them to reach the required 60 votes. But right now, Democratic leadership says those votes aren’t coming without major changes to how the DHS operates.
READ: Minnesota Shooting Sparks Sudden Shutdown Fears As Democrats Draw A Line In The Sand
Murphy said that most Americans—about 60 to 70 percent—do not support what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is doing. He insisted that Democrats will only come to the table if there are serious reforms to protect people in American cities.
However, not all Democrats agree that a shutdown is the right move. Senator Patty Murray, a top voice on spending issues, warned her colleagues against this strategy just days before the Minneapolis shooting.
In a statement on January 20, Murray argued that stopping the funding bill wouldn’t actually stop ICE. She noted that the agency has a massive “slush fund” of money it can use even if the government shuts down. She wrote that blocking the bill removes “critical guardrails” that would otherwise keep the agency in check.
“The suggestion that a shutdown in this moment might curb the lawlessness of this administration is not rooted in reality,” Murray stated. She believes the better path is fighting to win elections rather than forcing a shutdown.
This isn’t the first time the Senate has faced this kind of gridlock. In the fall of 2025, the government shut down for a record-breaking 43 days. During that time, Murphy and Schumer voted repeatedly against reopening the government. Just days before that shutdown ended, Murphy had warned that the Democratic party’s reputation would take a big hit if they didn’t stop prolonging the fight.
With the January 30 deadline approaching fast, it remains to be seen if the two sides can make a deal or if the lights will go out in Washington once again.
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