WASHINGTON DC – Senators in Washington are sounding off on a potential shutdown. This conversation stems from legislation that would financially support operational costs for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Washington Senator Maria Cantwell drew a comparison to a landmark Spokane case as to why oversight in the police force is needed.
On the heels of what’s been unfolding in Minnesota, the senator spoke on the floor today about the Otto Zehm case.
“In Spokane, [a] disabled man basically went to his daily ritual going over to get a soft drink at a supermarket and on the way there somebody said I think he’s acting a little strange and called the police,” Cantwell describing the events from the 2006 incident near downtown, “as he was reaching for a soda in the bottom department – the police told him to stop and he really didn’t understand what they were saying.. and they shot Otto Zhem and killed him.”
The senator ended with, that having a Department of Justice that reinforces the civil liberties of Americans – and holds law enforcement who overreach accountable is what’s best for our country.
In the Otto Zhem case, multiple individuals were charged with excessive use of force and lying to investigators.
Karl F. Thompson Jr. was found guilty of using excessive force and was convicted.
Democrats feel one of the ways to regain leverage and oversight in the department would be to leverage a shutdown over funding.
Democrats have been pushing to remove funding for the Department of Homeland Security, or some sort of exchange for oversight over Secretary Kristi Noem or her potential removal from the post.
Noem’s department and officers are at the center of backlash over events leading up to and their description of what led federal agents to shoot and killing 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Yesterday, Secretary Nome said, “Everything I’ve Done’ Has Been Directed by Trump and Stephen Miller.”
Now, how possible is a shutdown – well if a deal is not reached by midnight on Friday, we are closed.
Republicans have the majority but don’t have the 60 votes needed to bypass the filibuster; they have 53 members.
Meaning they need support from Democrats, which currently looks difficult for them.
Montana Senator Steve Daines on Fox News today.
“Let me be clear that White House and Senate Republicans do not want to see any government shutdown. What’s going to happen is there’s going to be a vote today in the next hour that probably gets defeated, this appropriation bill that came to us from the House. We have to approve the same bill would go to the president’s desk if we change it in any way the House has to approve it once again that results in some kind of a short-term shutdown.”
Ok– so there’s a process, the Senator followed up with support for ICE.
“Here’s what I think is going to happen. There’ll be a vote today in the next hour that will probably fail and then a deal cut that will pass all of the appropriations except the one chunk of Homeland Security. We will set that aside and pass a temporary bridge, a CR, for a few weeks to negotiate parameters as it relates to DHS. We will see a partial may be a day or two shutdown over the weekend that will have minimal harm. We do not want to see any disruption because the crazy part about this is ICE would not be disrupted, what would be disrupted is FEMA, TSA, Coast Guard, Secret Service. That’s what will get disrupted if the Democrats have their way.”
The sticky situation, Republicans don’t have the votes. So they will have to negotiate with Democrats.
This now comes as- several republicans have come out against Noem.
At this point, we have to see how the votes pan out – but the possibility of a shutdown is not unlikely
