US Senate eyes funding deal vote as government shutdown loomsListen to this articleSenate Democrats have vowed to block government funding measures unless the legislation puts guardrails on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). (Photo: AFP)WASHINGTON — The US Senate edged closer to a vote Friday on a funding deal to avert a government shutdown following a bitter standoff over President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that the White House had agreed to the demand, with Senate leaders from both parties hoping to bring the deal to the floor for a vote on Friday. That anger boiled over Thursday when Senate Democrats blocked a key procedural vote on a six-bill spending package designed to keep most of the government funded. Those deaths detonated what had appeared to be a stable bipartisan funding arrangement and refocused congressional debate on the conduct of federal officers operating under Trump's aggressive enforcement campaign.
