Democratic Senator John Fetterman split from his party on Monday, refusing to support calls to defund or abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His decision comes during a tense moment in Washington following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents.
The most recent shooting happened on Saturday when a Border Patrol officer killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse. This tragedy has led many Democrats to demand that funding for ICE be cut off. Lawmakers only have until January 30 to pass a funding bill or the government will shut down. But Fetterman, known as a moderate voice in his party, said he will not help force a shutdown.
“I will never vote to shut our government down, especially our Defense Department,” Fetterman posted on social media.
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He explained that stopping the current funding bill wouldn’t actually stop ICE. According to Fetterman, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) already has $178 billion in the bank from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a law passed in July 2025 that he voted against. Because of this earlier law, ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have enough money to keep working even if Congress doesn’t pass a new bill.
Fetterman pointed out that a shutdown would instead hurt other agencies like the Coast Guard, FEMA, and the TSA. He said he disagrees with the tactics federal agents used in Minneapolis and thinks they should leave the city, but he still won’t vote to strip their funding if it risks closing the government.
“I reject the calls to defund or abolish ICE,” Fetterman said.
This puts him at odds with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. On Sunday, Schumer announced that Democrats would block any bill that includes money for ICE. The funding for DHS was sent to the Senate as part of a larger package of five bills. Schumer has suggested passing the other bills first to avoid the January 30 deadline, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune has refused to separate them.
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President Donald Trump stated on Monday that ICE operations in Minneapolis would continue. He also announced that “Border Czar” Tom Homan would take charge of the situation.
The House of Representatives narrowly passed the DHS funding bill on Thursday with help from a few Democrats. However, support is dropping fast in the Senate after Pretti’s death. Several House Democrats who originally voted “yes” have since apologized or criticized DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
Fetterman might end up being the only Democrat in the Senate to cross party lines and vote for the bill if it comes to the floor. He said he would like to discuss removing the DHS money from the larger package, but admitted it probably won’t happen.
“It is unlikely that will happen and our country will suffer another shutdown,” he said.
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This isn’t the first time Fetterman has gone his own way. During the record-breaking government shutdown in the fall of 2025, he was one of just three Democrats who refused to join Schumer’s tough strategy. His independent streak has angered some progressives. In mid-January, the left-wing Working Families Party started a campaign to find someone to run against him in the next primary.
Fetterman is not up for reelection until 2028.
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