January 29, 2026

Good Thursday evening. In this edition: Democrats reach deal with White House on government funding; and Homan pledges to "fix" operations in Minneapolis.

• Plus, Venezuela, Omar, Klobuchar, Fulton County and contempt.

Government Funding

Senate Democrats reached a deal with the White House one day ahead of the shutdown deadline, agreeing to fund most of the government while negotiations continue over possible immigration enforcement reforms.

• The agreement, which will require unanimous consent from all 100 senators, would remove the Homeland Security Department bill from the five other bills in the House-approved package and provide a two-week funding extension for DHS.

Lawmakers had been on track to complete their FY 2026 appropriations work this week, but the process was derailed after a second American citizen was killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis over the weekend.

• Democrats threatened to block the six-bill minibus — which makes up the bulk of federal spending — unless the DHS bill, which funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), was stripped from the package and rewritten.

Democrats followed through on that threat, blocking the package from advancing earlier in the day.

• The procedural vote failed 45–55, short of the 60 votes needed, with all Democrats and eight Republicans voting against the measure.
  
  

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) switched his vote to "no" so he could call for a revote, which could come as soon as Thursday evening.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Wednesday outlined a list of immigration enforcement reforms Democrats want included in a revised DHS bill.

• Those demands include tighter rules on the use of warrants, a uniform code of conduct for federal officers, a ban on agents wearing masks, and a requirement that agents wear body cameras.

The White House rejected the proposals but said it remained open to a "productive dialogue with Congress" on a path forward.

• Republicans had sought a longer temporary extension to allow more time for negotiations, but Democrats prevailed in securing a two-week funding patch, which they hope will speed progress toward an agreement on enforcement operations.

Even if the Senate approves the deal as early as Thursday evening, a brief lapse in funding appears likely, since the package would need to return to the House, which is not scheduled to reconvene until Monday.

• Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) floated the possibility of bringing the House back earlier, but there could be logistical challenges in getting all members back on such short notice.

President Trump publicly backed the deal and said he was "working hard" with Congress to ensure there's no lapse in funding.

• "Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security," he wrote on social media.
  
  

• "Hopefully, both Republicans and Democrats will give a very much needed Bipartisan 'YES' Vote."

Watch the Senate floor.

Minneapolis

White House border czar Tom Homan signaled a shift in how the federal government would approach its immigration operations in Minneapolis, describing plans to "draw down" federal agents and focus more on "targeted" enforcement.

• "President Trump wants this fixed, and I'm going to fix it," he said at a news conference, two days after replacing Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino in the wake of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.

Mr. Homan said residents of Minneapolis can expect to see "massive changes" in how the operations are conducted.

• "I'm not here because the federal government has carried its mission out perfectly," he said. "What we've been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient, by the book. The mission is going to improve because of the changes we're making internally."

The border czar, who has been meeting with local leaders, tied a potential drawdown of federal agents to increased cooperation from state and local governments, including broader access to immigrants detained in jails and prisons.

• "If we get these agreements in place, that means less agents on the street," he said. "This is commonsense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here. Yes, I said it, draw down the number of people here."

He noted that ICE and Border Patrol were enforcing the laws as written by Congress and told those protesting in the streets of Minneapolis to direct their attention toward Washington.

• "If you don't like what ICE is doing, instead of protesting this building, go protest Congress," he said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) dismissed the administration's pivot as meaningless unless President Trump makes changes to his leadership team.

• "Why does Donald Trump, if he truly is trying to change direction, have these people around?" he said. "We're not interested in a change of tone. We're interested in a change of behavior."

He maintained that Democrats would seek to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem unless she's fired by the president.

• "Kristi Noem is a complete and total embarrassment. She's a disgrace. And on top of all of that, she's presided over the cold-blooded killings of American citizens," he said at a press conference.

The Democratic leader also called for the removal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, whom he described as the "architect" of the president's "toxic immigration policies."

• "He's a stone-cold liar. He's a bigot. He's a hateful individual. He's a malignant, unelected interloper. He needs to go as well," Rep. Jeffries said.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D), meanwhile, declared that his city would not be "intimidated" by the surge in federal immigration agents and warned that other cities could be next if local leaders don't speak out.

• "I didn't take this job to get into the business of defending democracy," he said at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, DC. "We find ourselves in a different position right now. We are on the frontlines of a very important battle."

Mayor Frey said it was not the time to "bend our heads in despair," but to stand up and "be a patriot" and fight "for the kinds of liberties and freedoms that we all hold dear."

• "If we do not speak up, if we do not step out, it will be your city that is next," he warned.

Watch the remarks from Mr. Homan, Rep. Jeffries and Mayor Frey.

Host Dasha Burns is joined by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt (R) and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (D) — chair and vice chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors — for a bipartisan conversation on the top issues facing American cities.

In other news…

• President Trump said commercial airspace over Venezuela was set to reopen soon, weeks after the U.S. military operation that removed Nicholas Maduro from power. "We're going to be opening up all commercial airspace over Venezuela," he said during a Cabinet meeting. "American citizens will be, very shortly, able to go to Venezuela, and they'll be safe there." The president said he has instructed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the U.S. military to open the airspace by the end of the day.
  
  

• The Justice Department charged the man who rushed the lectern and squirted apple cider vinegar on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) as she was speaking at a town hall in her district on Tuesday evening. He faces a charge of forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding, and intimidating the congresswoman. The man has a criminal history and has made online posts supportive of President Trump, the Associated Press reported. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he spoke with Rep. Omar after the incident and that he had seen "no evidence" to suggest the attack was staged, as President Trump suggested.
  
  

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) officially launched her campaign for Minnesota governor. "Minnesotans, we've been through a lot," she said in a launch video. "We cannot sugarcoat how hard this is. But in these moments of enormous difficulty, we find strength in our Minnesota values of hard work, freedom and simple decency and goodwill." The four-term senator jumped into the race after Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) announced he would not seek a third term. The incumbent governor told MS NOW that would he "never again" seek elected office.
  
  

• The FBI served a warrant Wednesday at an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of an investigation into alleged voter fraud in the 2020 election. The office, which serves Atlanta, was the focus of President Trump and his allies' claims that the election was rigged. Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory said the warrant seeks all ballots cast in the county during the 2020 election.
  
  

• The House Rules Committee scheduled a meeting for Monday to mark up contempt of Congress resolutions against former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, teeing up potential floor votes next week to refer them to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution. The resolutions were approved in the House Oversight Committee last week with bipartisan support after the former first couple refused to comply with subpoenas seeking their testimony in the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

For your radar…

• Mayors from around the country gather at the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 94th Winter Meeting in Washington, DC, as the annual meeting concludes on Friday. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN at 12:45pm ET.

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