WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Senate Democrat to vote Thursday to advance a full-year funding package for the Department of Homeland Security, breaking with his party over concerns about a potential government shutdown.
Fetterman said shutting down DHS would not impact Immigration and Customs Enforcement because the agency already received $75 billion through last year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed by President Trump. “Shutting DHS down has zero impact and zero changes for ICE,” he wrote on social media. “But it will hit FEMA, Coast Guard, TSA and our Cybersecurity Agency.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat emphasized he supports reforms to ICE but argued that withholding funding is not the way to achieve those changes. “As a Democrat, I can’t vote to shut down critical parts of our government,” he said in a video accompanying his statement.
All other Senate Democrats, including Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Angus King of Maine, voted against advancing the bill, citing stalled negotiations over immigration enforcement reforms.
The funding measure includes provisions for ICE body cameras and de-escalation training. Fetterman has consistently opposed government shutdowns, maintaining that such tactics undermine essential federal services.
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