Seven Republican senators, including U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), voted with Democrats on Thursday against moving forward with a spending package to keep the government open past the Friday-night deadline.
Tuberville said he voted against the procedural vote because Democrats were trying to hamper Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and cut funding to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
"I voted no on today's procedural vote to fund parts of the government because it would have set the stage to give Democrats their woke wish-list of so-called ICE 'reforms,'" Tuberville said in a post on X.
"Democrats have been DEMANDING that Republicans make major concessions when it comes to how our ICE officers do their jobs. Republicans control the White House, Senate, and House. Why are we giving an INCH to Democrats??? Now, more than EVER, we need to let our police officers know that we have their backs—not burden them with some new protocols that could slow their progress on DEPORTING CRIMINALS."
I voted no on today’s procedural vote to fund parts of the government because it would have set the stage to give Democrats their woke wish-list of so-called ICE “reforms.”
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) January 29, 2026
Democrats have been DEMANDING that Republicans make major concessions when it comes to how our ICE…
Joining Tuberville in the dissenting vote were Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
Following the vote, Senate Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement to fund DHS for two more weeks, allowing them to move forward with the five more fiscal year 2026 spending bills needed to pass before Friday night to avoid another government shutdown.
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