ORLANDO, Fla. – This week on “Politically Motivated,” Christopher Heath and Lauren Melendez explained how Central Florida and the rest of the country could feel the fallout from growing tensions over federal ICE agents killing another person in Minnesota.
Lauren: “Our government has to be funded by money and there was a package that was approved by the House, and the Senate said ‘No,’ specifically most Democrats, because of immigration issues.”
In case you missed it, Congress is on the brink of another government shutdown and it’s all because of growing anger over the conduct of federal agents in Minneapolis.
They’ve killed two people in just over two weeks.
The first was Renee Good, whom Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said used her SUV as a “weapon” to attack ICE agents on Jan. 7.
Then, the most recent was Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse who appears in video to be trying to help a woman who was pushed to the ground by border patrol agents during a clash on Jan. 26.
Here’s where things stand.
- The House passed an extension to keep the government’s light on
- The House sent that plan to the Senate for approval
And then, chaos erupted.
Christopher: "After it was sent to the Senate, that’s when we had the killing of Alex Pretti and the reaction from Democrats was almost immediate to start whipping votes. Chuck Schumer and other leadership on the Democratic side said, ‘We’ll pass almost everything you’ve given us to keep the government funded, but we will not pass this ICE portion.’"
Essentially, Democrats rejected giving more supplemental money for Homeland Security.
By the numbers, it takes 60 votes in the Senate to pass a funding bill. Republicans only have 53 and they need 7 Democrats to sign on.
So now, the bill sits in limbo and the government will shut down Jan. 30 if both sides can’t agree.
HOW IT IMPACTS YOU: With no federal government, everything listed below is subject to pause.
- Federal workers: Furloughs for non-essential staff, essential staff work without immediate pay (with back pay guaranteed later); contractors generally don’t get back pay.
- Small businesses: Delays in federal loans (SBA), licenses, and permits.
- Consumers: Missed paychecks hurt local economies; reduced consumer confidence.
- Vulnerable populations: Risks to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), potential halts to Medicare Telehealth, and reduced NIH clinical research capacity for new patients.
Services and operations
- Air travel: TSA and air-traffic controller staffing issues, leading to delays, though flights generally continue.
- National parks and museums: Closures or limited services (trash collection, restrooms).
- Immigration: Backlogs in immigration courts.
- Tax and benefits: Pauses in IRS audits/taxpayer services; potential delays in SNAP, FAFSA, Pell Grants, and loan forgiveness processing.
- Public health and safety: FDA halts routine food/drug inspections; EPA reduces contaminant cleanup efforts; NIH reduces new patient intake at research hospital.
What generally continues (with potential delays)
- Mail delivery: U.S. Postal Service (self-funded) continues as usual.
- Core benefits: Social Security, Medicare, VA benefits payments usually continue, but processing new applications can slow.
- Essential functions: Defense, law enforcement, and critical infrastructure monitoring continue, with essential personnel working without pay.
[MORE: Orlando attorney tells city it can’t stop ICE detention facility from opening]