House Democrats tell GOP leadership they won’t help pass funding package through fast-track process
by Sophie Brams - 01/31/26 6:34 PM ET
House Democrats have informed GOP leaders that they will not help pass a funding package through a fast-track process, a source familiar confirmed to The Hill — complicating Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) plan to swiftly pass the measure and reopen the government.
The decision, first reported by Punchbowl News, comes a day after Johnson told House Republicans that he wanted to use the special process to pass the measure and bring a swift end to the partial government shutdown that began at midnight Saturday.
Johnson had sought bipartisan cooperation in the effort to bypass the difficulty of getting unified Republican support under a razor-thin margin. The process of suspending the rules requires a two-thirds threshold, meaning 70 Democrats would have had to support the vote under suspension.
That means the package now likely has to move through the regular rule process, in which Republicans will be able to afford no more than one defection on any party-line vote with all members present and voting.
The Senate passed the $1.2 trillion funding package late Friday, consisting of five regular appropriations bills and a two-week stopgap measure for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an agency that has come under intense scrutiny for its immigration enforcement tactics.
Democrats had vowed to block the entire package, which included an additional $10 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), seeking reforms to rein in federal agents. But senators struck a last-minute deal with the White House to split off the DHS bill, ensuring negotiations could continue through mid-February.
Democratic leaders have laid out specific changes they want to see within ICE and Border Patrol, including expanded warrant requirements and a ban on federal agents wearing masks.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5716949-funding-package-faces-house-hurdles/
