
Audio By Carbonatix
US President Donald Trump has signed a $1.2tn (£880bn) budget to end a partial government shutdown that began on Saturday.
The deal passed the US House of Representatives in a 217-214 vote earlier in the day. The package cleared the Senate last Friday.
The measure funds most government agencies until the end of the fiscal year in September. But the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be funded only until the end of next week.
Lawmakers are expected to negotiate Democratic calls for DHS reforms after federal immigration agents fatally shot two US citizens in Minneapolis last month.
Democrats are demanding restrictions on federal law enforcement, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency within DHS.
DHS funding is due to lapse on 13 February without a new agreement.
"This bill is a great victory for the American people," Trump said as he signed the budget in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon.
DHS funding is the most fraught component of the package - lawmakers, even within each of the parties, do not agree on the best way to move forward.
The DHS encompasses multiple subsidiary agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Coast Guard and Secret Service.
Democrats want changes to DHS immigration enforcement operations, including requirements that agents record on body cameras and not wear masks to conceal their faces.
They have also demanded changes in funding to DHS in light of the fatal shootings in Minneapolis of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and have advocated for changes to protocol.
Both chambers of the US Congress – the House and Senate – must vote to approve legislation before it can be signed into law by the president.
Senators had agreed to a package of five spending bills, but stripped out a sixth bill funding DHS.
The Senate instead approved enough money to keep DHS running for two weeks while lawmakers work out disputes over its long-term budget.
That is the same agreement the House passed on Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune had said he was concerned about the two-week timing in part because members of the Republican conference remain in "very different places".
"Once we start, we have a very short timeframe in which to do this, which I lobbied against, but the Democrats insisted on a two-week window," Thune said.
"I don't understand the rationale for that. Anybody who knows this place knows that's an impossibility."
The limited shutdown affected numerous government services, forcing thousands of Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic control workers to either stay home on furlough or work without pay.
It will also delay the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly job's report. The report is used by political leaders, investors and everyday Americans to understand how the economy is faring.
Latest Stories
-
Four dead, 14 injured in Dawadawa Highway crash
1 hour -
Ga Mantse, Spanish Ambassador discuss Hola Accra Music Festival
1 hour -
President Mahama reflects on the birth of Kwahu Business Forum at 2026 event
1 hour -
How Dr. Joseph Bonney’s ‘No Bed Syndrome’ moved from Ghana hospitals to global use
1 hour -
President Mahama emphasises need for stable and predictable cedis
1 hour -
Deliver quality or be penalised, GETFund Administrator cautions contractors
2 hours -
President Mahama urges Ghanaian businesses to prioritise tax compliance and succession planning
2 hours -
Invest in start-ups and explore mergers – President Mahama urges Ghanaian businesses
2 hours -
Mahama confirms progress on 24-Hour Economy initiative at Kwahu Business Forum
2 hours -
Parliament passes Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPA) Bill
2 hours -
New airport infrastructure tax – a costly own goal that ground Ghana’s aviation ambitions
3 hours -
Sachet water price increase: Why Ghana urgently needs a competition law to address price fixing and cartel conduct
3 hours -
Ex-President Akufo-Addo visits President Mahama in Kwahu during Easter festivities
3 hours -
There is no imminent fuel shortage – President Mahama assures Ghanaians amid Iran conflict
3 hours -
Gov’t to expand Accra International Airport with new car park, retail spaces, and airport hotel
3 hours
