The United States could be careening toward another government shutdown, in which federal agencies are forced to close because Congress cannot pass legislation to fund them.That was not always the case. At first, it seemed like Friday’s deadline to pass a new spending package would pass without much fuss.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listBut an impasse has emerged in the waning days before the deadline. The shift came amid public outrage at the latest shooting death resulting from President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement drive.In the days since immigration agents killed US citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, Democrats have drawn a stark line.They have pledged to approve no funding increases for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the agencies spearheading Trump’s deportation drive, unless it agrees to place guardrails on its use of force.On Thursday, Tom Homan, the US border security chief, said immigration agents would shift their approach in Minnesota but vowed to maintain a continued presence in the state.Lawmakers in the Senate now have until midnight Friday (05:00 GMT on Saturday) to find a solution. Here’s how we got here and what comes next:What’s in the legislation?Republicans will need to reach a 60-vote threshold in the 100-seat Senate to pass the funding legislation. They currently control 53 seats, meaning they will need the support of at least seven members of the Democratic caucus.All told, the legislation includes six separate bills to fund the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor, the Department of …
