Trump Warns of ‘Democrat Shutdown’ as Congress Faces Funding Chaos

Paul Riverbank, 1/23/2026Congress races to avoid shutdown as ICE funding, partisan tensions, and public stakes collide.

President Donald Trump, with characteristic bluntness, didn’t mince words on Fox News. “I think we have a problem, because I think we're going to probably end up in another Democrat shutdown,” he said, casting blame as the cameras rolled. He lingered on costs, recalling the lingering hangover from last time—43 days of agency confusion, missed paychecks, and a public increasingly out for blood. “They’ll probably do it again. That’s my feeling,” he said, half prediction, half challenge.

Inside the Capitol, tired eyes and half-drunk coffee mugs outlined the urgency. After weeks of squabbling and closed-door bartering, the House managed to haul a $1.2 trillion government funding package past the finish line and onward to the Senate. The vote marked a rare moment of broad, if uneasy, agreement. Major bills—Defense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development—crossed the aisle with more than 340 supporters. The defense budget, nearly $840 billion on its own, drew nods from lawmakers who some days barely share an elevator ride, much less a vote count.

That consensus was always thin—especially around immigration. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security became the fight everyone saw coming, just not so painfully. The House squeaked out passage by a scant thirteen votes (220-207), the drama heightened by a bruising debate over ICE and its tactics. Some Democrats, spurred by recent high-profile raids and the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis, slammed the agency’s approach as “rogue.” Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro didn’t sugarcoat her frustration. “It is impossible to ignore the impact that ICE’s conduct had in completing this bill. This is a rogue agency.” Republicans, for their part, dug in on familiar priorities: order, security, the rule of law.

Yet, the final bill wasn’t without change. ICE operations took a $115 million haircut. Congress trimmed 5,500 detention beds, a small but not unnoticed shift. For the first time, $20 million got earmarked for body cameras and there are new training funds—hard-won checkpoints for public accountability layered alongside a more robust set of reporting requirements.

Still, it wasn’t enough for some. Even a handful of Democrats crossed the aisle to secure passage, tempers bruised but hands forced by the calendar and the threat of furloughed workers. Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada tried to shift focus back to the basics. “This bill ensures that the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, who work tirelessly to keep America safe, have the resources and tools they need to protect this great nation.” Across the chamber, his words earned grim nods rather than applause.

It now falls to the Senate to stitch together a final package. With days ticking away and a heavy East Coast snowstorm closing in, the to-do list feels daunting, almost insurmountable. Senators, some privately grousing about sleeping bags in their offices, brace for the prospect of 3 a.m. sessions—again.

There’s wistful talk of restoring “regular order,” a procedural nostalgia that lingers in every hearing room: could Congress one day return to predictable debates, budgets hammered out before midnight, rather than lurching from crisis to crisis? Few sound optimistic.

The unending conflict over immigration—ICE funding above all—remains the red-hot symbol. More than just dollars and beds, it’s about vision: what kind of country do we want to be, and by what means do we enforce our borders? Both parties have grown stubborn, their principles now central to campaign stump speeches as much as any private negotiation.

All the while, millions beyond the beltway watch and wait. They’ll be the first to feel it if checks go missing, if cancer research halts, if the lights flicker out in parks, museums, and offices from coast to coast. Congress faces a straightforward choice, yet the path there looks anything but—just day-old coffee, anxious glances at the clock, and the weight of another shutdown threatening to bear down.

The thick halls of Congress haven’t been this unsettled in months, and it shows. On a raw January afternoon, lawmakers seem to move a bit faster, voices fractious but hushed—knowing the clatter of another government shutdown is drawing ominously close. The deadline: January 30. The sense of déjà vu hangs over every conversation.President Donald Trump, with characteristic bluntness, didn’t mince words on Fox News. “I think we have a problem, because I think we're going to probably end up in another Democrat shutdown,” he said, casting blame as the cameras rolled. He lingered on costs, recalling the lingering hangover from last time—43 days of agency confusion, missed paychecks, and a public increasingly out for blood. “They’ll probably do it again. That’s my feeling,” he said, half prediction, half challenge.Inside the Capitol, tired eyes and half-drunk coffee mugs outlined the urgency. After weeks of squabbling and closed-door bartering, the House managed to haul a $1.2 trillion government funding package past the finish line and onward to the Senate. The vote marked a rare moment of broad, if uneasy, agreement. Major bills—Defense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development—crossed the aisle with more than 340 supporters. The defense budget, nearly $840 billion on its own, drew nods from lawmakers who some days barely share an elevator ride, much less a vote count.That consensus was always thin—especially around immigration. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security became the fight everyone saw coming, just not so painfully. The House squeaked out passage by a scant thirteen votes (220-207), the drama heightened by a bruising debate over ICE and its tactics. Some Democrats, spurred by recent high-profile raids and the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis, slammed the agency’s approach as “rogue.” Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro didn’t sugarcoat her frustration. “It is impossible to ignore the impact that ICE’s conduct had in completing this bill. This is a rogue agency.” Republicans, for their part, dug in on familiar priorities: order, security, the rule of law.Yet, the final bill wasn’t without change. ICE operations took a $115 million haircut. Congress trimmed 5,500 detention beds, a small but not unnoticed shift. For the first time, $20 million got earmarked for body cameras and there are new training funds—hard-won checkpoints for public accountability layered alongside a more robust set of reporting requirements.Still, it wasn’t enough for some. Even a handful of Democrats crossed the aisle to secure passage, tempers bruised but hands forced by the calendar and the threat of furloughed workers. Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada tried to shift focus back to the basics. “This bill ensures that the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, who work tirelessly to keep America safe, have the resources and tools they need to protect this great nation.” Across the chamber, his words earned grim nods rather than applause.It now falls to the Senate to stitch together a final package. With days ticking away and a heavy East Coast snowstorm closing in, the to-do list feels daunting, almost insurmountable. Senators, some privately grousing about sleeping bags in their offices, brace for the prospect of 3 a.m. sessions—again.There’s wistful talk of restoring “regular order,” a procedural nostalgia that lingers in every hearing room: could Congress one day return to predictable debates, budgets hammered out before midnight, rather than lurching from crisis to crisis? Few sound optimistic.The unending conflict over immigration—ICE funding above all—remains the red-hot symbol. More than just dollars and beds, it’s about vision: what kind of country do we want to be, and by what means do we enforce our borders? Both parties have grown stubborn, their principles now central to campaign stump speeches as much as any private negotiation.All the while, millions beyond the beltway watch and wait. They’ll be the first to feel it if checks go missing, if cancer research halts, if the lights flicker out in parks, museums, and offices from coast to coast. Congress faces a straightforward choice, yet the path there looks anything but—just day-old coffee, anxious glances at the clock, and the weight of another shutdown threatening to bear down.