US partial shutdown to end soon? House Speaker Mike Johnson says he has enough votes

As the United States federal government entered a partial government shutdown on Saturday, January 31 after the Congress failed to approve a deal to keep some operations funded, the House Speaker Mike Johnson said he has enough Republican votes to end the shutdown, Reuters reported. He said once the shutdown ends, the chamber will debate Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms for two weeks after that.

Speaking with NBC, Mike Johnson said, “I'm confident that we'll do it at least by Tuesday. We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town.”

Transport problems are persisting following a snowstorm that affected travel in the southeastern US. The Senate had passed a spending package on Friday, January 30, but the House of Representatives is out of town.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been working to ensure a debate over immigration enforcement does not disrupt other government operations – as opposed to the last autumn when the longest shutdown over the failure to reach agreement on funds disrupted normal lives. It had lasted record 43 days. Also Read | US government partial shutdown: What happens next, will it affect SNAP, other fundings?

The deal approved by the Senate would separate the Department of Homeland Security from the broader spending package. This would also allow the lawmakers to approve funding for Pentagon, Department of Labour and other agencies as new restrictions are considered on federal immigration agents amid uproar after two US citizens were shot dead in Minneapolis.

Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the House. Mike Johnson has said that the intention is to fund all agencies except for DHS by Tuesday. “And then we will have two weeks of good faith negotiations to figure it out,” he said.

The legislation provides a two-week stopgap for DHS funding, but talks on full-year funding are stalled over proposed ICE reforms. Democrats are seeking measures such as mandatory body cameras and restrictions on roving patrols and face coverings. Also Read | Inside Donald Trump's 2025 US government shutdown

“I just don’t see how, in good conscience, Democrats can vote for continuing ICE funding when they’re killing American citizens,” Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, told "Meet the Press".

Johnson said he believes the Trump administration will make changes to some DHS practices but said ICE agents wear masks to protect their own identities and their families.

(With Reuters inputs)