Senate Democrats said Wednesday they will push a series of amendments on gas, grocery, housing, and health care costs when the chamber takes up a Republican bill to fund immigration enforcement—a bill that would end the longest government shutdown in history.
The partial shutdown began in February when Democrats refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unless Republicans agreed to new limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. They tied these demands to the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by immigration agents in Minneapolis.
Republicans rejected those demands and are now moving to fund the two agencies for three years through a process called budget reconciliation, which allows the majority party to bypass the 60-vote threshold most bills need to pass the Senate. If Republicans secure final passage of the reconciliation measure, it would resolve the central dispute that prolonged the shutdown without the ICE reforms Democrats had demanded….