House Passes $1.2T Spending Bill Ending Shutdown, DHS Funding Limited to 2 Weeks

The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved a roughly $1.2 trillion spending package on Tuesday, voting 217–214 to end a partial government shutdown that had stretched into its fourth day and sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature.cbsnews +1 The bill restores funding for most federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year while leaving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on a short, two‑week lifeline that sets up another high‑stakes fight over immigration enforcement.pbs +1

The legislation, built on a Senate deal struck late last week, folds five of the government’s 12 annual appropriations bills into a single “minibus” that funds the Pentagon, health and education programs, transportation and housing, financial regulators, and the State Department through Sept. 30, 2026.nbcnews +1 DHS, the center of a bitter clash over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol practices after a fatal shooting in Minneapolis, is funded only through Feb. 13, 2026, via a stopgap extension.pbs +1

How a Deeply Divided House Got to “Yes”

The path to passage ran through a razor‑thin Republican majority that required party leaders to hold their ranks together on a key procedural vote, then rely on Democrats to carry the final bill over the finish line.cbsnews +1 The House first adopted a rule to bring the package to the floor, 217–215, before backing the deal itself, 217–214, with 21 Republicans breaking ranks to oppose it and 21 Democrats crossing over to support it.cbsnews +1

Speaker Mike Johnson framed the vote as proof Republicans could both follow Trump’s lead and keep the government running, telling reporters the rule was “never in doubt” despite hours of arm‑twisting and threats from conservatives who wanted to add the hard‑line SAVE Act voting bill and tougher immigration riders.cbsnews +1 Trump himself intervened on social media, urging lawmakers to approve the Senate‑negotiated package with “NO CHANGES” and “WITHOUT DELAY,” undercutting conservatives who were pushing to reopen the agreement.politico +1

Democratic leaders allowed members to vote their districts, producing a split caucus in which progressives and immigration advocates largely opposed the package while more centrist Democrats argued that reopening shuttered agencies and paying federal workers could not wait.pbs +1 Former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer argued that “today is a time to fund the majority of government for the American people,” promising hard fights ahead over DHS.cbsnews

DHS Fight Delayed, Not Resolved

The most contentious issue—how and whether to fund ICE and Border Patrol—was deliberately carved out of the year‑long package after Senate Democrats threatened to block any bill that handed DHS a full‑year appropriation without new guardrails.pbs +1 Their stance hardened after federal immigration agents shot and killed 37‑year‑old nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, prompting demands for mandatory body cameras, clearer use‑of‑force rules, warrant requirements for certain arrests and stronger identification standards for agents.axios +1

Under the compromise, DHS operations will be financed only through Feb. 13, giving negotiators roughly 10 days to strike a deal on both money and reforms.pbs +1 If they fail, much of DHS could once again face a funding lapse starting Feb. 14, even as the rest of the government continues to operate.nbcnews House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that “absent” dramatic changes at ICE and DHS, a full‑year funding bill is “in deep trouble.”pbs Many Republicans, meanwhile, blasted the separation of DHS as dangerous, with some senators complaining the approach starves ICE while leaving border security in limbo.san

The Bigger Picture

The vote ended an uncomfortable shutdown that had already begun to disrupt Pentagon operations, delay some health and education grants, and furlough thousands of federal workers, but it also guaranteed another showdown before month’s end.floridapolitics With the Senate having already cleared the same package 71–29 and Trump expected to sign it quickly, Washington is now pivoting from a broad spending fight to a narrower but more combustible battle over immigration enforcement, police accountability and the limits of Trump‑era border policy.san +1 The next 10 days will test whether a closely divided Congress can translate outrage over abuses into concrete oversight measures—or whether DHS becomes the flashpoint for yet another shutdown.