WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Rep. Ro Khanna said Sunday he will vote against a measure to reopen parts of the federal government, drawing a sharp line over continued funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement as Congress races to end a partial shutdown.
Khanna, a California Democrat, said he is a “firm no” on the Senate-passed bill that would reopen the government this week. He argued that House Democrats cannot support legislation that includes funding for ICE.
“I just don’t see how, in good conscience, Democrats can vote for continuing ICE funding,” Khanna said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He pointed to recent fatal encounters involving federal agents and U.S. citizens as a reason for his opposition.
Several federal agencies entered a partial government shutdown on Saturday. Lawmakers failed to act before the deadline because the House was out of Washington. The House is expected to vote Monday on a plan to reopen the government, unless delays extend the shutdown.
The shutdown impacts major departments, including Homeland Security, Defense, State, Treasury, Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development. A deal between President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats funds most agencies through September.
The agreement treats the Department of Homeland Security differently. The Senate bill funds DHS for only two weeks. DHS oversees ICE and Customs and Border Protection. The short-term funding gives lawmakers time to debate immigration enforcement policies. Democratic concerns intensified after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, in Minneapolis in recent weeks.
Khanna urged Congress to split ICE funding from the rest of the government budget. He said lawmakers can reopen most agencies without approving money for ICE.
“We can bracket the ICE funding,” Khanna said. “We can open the remaining parts of government.”
He added that Congress should not give “an additional dollar” to an agency he says is policing both immigrants and American citizens. His stance highlights growing divisions within the Democratic Party over immigration enforcement and government funding.
House Republicans are expected to support the Senate-passed measure. Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said he expects the bill to pass once lawmakers return to Washington.
“I’m confident that we’ll do it,” Johnson said on “Meet the Press.” He acknowledged his party’s narrow majority but said Republicans will vote together.
The GOP margin has tightened after the death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California and the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. Johnson said Republicans will show they can govern despite the one-vote edge.
