Trump Signs $1.2 Trillion Funding Bill To End Shutdown And Fund Dhs For 2 Weeks

President Donald Trump signed a $1.2 trillion funding package into law Tuesday afternoon just hours after the House approved the bill, ending a brief partial government shutdown that began early Saturday morning.

The House voted 217-215, with support from 21 Democrats, following Senate passage last week.

“I’m thrilled to sign the Consolidated Appropriations Act to immediately reopen the federal government,” Trump said during a bill signing in the Oval Office, surrounded by Republican members of Congress.

While the agreement funds the vast majority of federal agencies through September, it leaves the Department of Homeland Security – which oversees agencies such as TSA and FEMA – funded only for two weeks, setting up a high-stakes confrontation over Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.

Democrats have labeled the department “rogue,” demanding changes to the operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January.

Absent a deal by the Feb. 13 deadline, DHS could face a funding lapse or be forced onto another short-term extension.

“President Trump will be the ultimate decider of any policy changes on anything, especially with respect to immigration enforcement,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier Tuesday.

And House GOP leaders have signaled they may defer to Trump to lead negotiations with Democrats. “We will keep the wheels of progress turning and let the president do what he does best, and that’s negotiate a final deal on his signature issue,” Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), the No. 4 House Republican, said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), standing in the Oval with Trump, dismissed one idea put forward by Democrats: requiring judicial warrant requirements for ICE agents.

“Makes no sense if we have to get a search warrant to get 15 million people out,” Graham said, while adding that Democrats “do have some good ideas.”