On Friday evening, the Senate approved a sweeping federal budget, securing funding for nearly all government operations but leaving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with only a temporary reprieve. The DHS received a two-week extension to its funding, aimed at providing time to negotiate new guidelines for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Should these talks fail, DHS faces the prospect of a shutdown.

This outcome, the product of intense discussions involving Senate Democrats, their Republican colleagues, and the White House, was passed with a 71-29 vote. Despite this progress, DHS will remain unfunded over the weekend until the House of Representatives returns on Monday to consider the stopgap measure.

The turn of events marks a dramatic shift for the DHS funding bill, which was initially anticipated to pass the Senate with support from several moderate Democrats, despite some dissent over ICE funding. However, the situation was altered by the tragic incident involving federal agents and protester Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. In response, Senate Democrats united in their decision to demand substantial ICE reforms before agreeing to DHS funding, compelling the Trump administration to negotiate to keep the government operational, avoiding what could have been the second shutdown in a year.

Although Democratic unity is often elusive, the prevailing political climate favored their stance. A survey by the Democrat-leaning Senate Majority PAC revealed that most voters supported the Democrats’ stance on a partial shutdown over ICE reforms and would hold Republicans responsible if the government remained closed.