The Senate's 2028 presidential class lines up against ICE funding
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Sen. Chris Murphy speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in January 2024. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
The Senate's 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls are tripping over each other to vote against ICE funding — even if that means opposing money for other programs they support and increasing the risk of another government shutdown.
Why it matters: For the 2028ers, voting "no" on a bill that's likely to pass the Senate next week is an easy way to signal their outrage at a president whose actions and policies they detest.
- But for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), it's another reminder that funding a government controlled by President Trump can quickly inflame his base, especially if his colleagues are fanning the flames.
The intrigue: Schumer hasn't said how he'll vote on the minibus the House passed Thursday, but, earlier this month, he took the idea of another government shutdown off the table.
- Last March, Schumer was filleted for supporting a short-term funding bill.
- In September, he course-corrected and touted his willingness to shut down the government.
- On its own, the 2028ers' opposition wouldn't be enough to derail plans to prevent a government funding lapse after Jan. 30, but that could change if more Democrats join them.
What they are saying: Many of the Democratic senators weighing a run for the White House in 2028 have been vocal on the issue, particularly Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who has consistently demanded reforms to ICE and threatened to vote against funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
- Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) was also clear on MSNOW on Tuesday night: "I've said repeatedly that I will not support one dime of funding for Trump's lawless ICE operations. I will vote no."
- "Yeah, I am not voting to give whatever ICE has become more taxpayer money," Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said on X on Wednesday.
- "I will vote against this bill when and if it comes to the Senate," Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said on X on Thursday.
- "I will not vote to fund DHS and ICE," Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said on X last week.
Between the lines: Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) suggested at an event in Michigan this week that she may not support DHS funding, but hasn't been definitive.
- Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) has not taken a public position.
The other side: House Democrats got a separate vote on funding for ICE, with 206 voting against it and only seven supporting. It passed, 220-207.
- Compare that with the remaining three bills — which will fund the Departments of Defense, Labor, HHS, Education, Transportation and HUD — in the minibus. That passed 341-88, with 64 Democrats voting against it.
The bottom line: The minibus — which will include six bills in the Senate — doesn't appear in danger of failing at the moment, but the margins will be interesting.
- So will the post-vote rhetoric from the Democrats who have their eye on the White House.
