Following the fatal shooting of VA nurse Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, U.S. Senators are divided on whether to proceed with a spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Pretti was shot during an altercation between federal immigration officials and protestors. While the DHS stated Pretti approached officers with a handgun, bystander videos reportedly show him holding a phone, with law enforcement shouting about a gun before the shooting. Pretti was licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
The incident has sparked outrage among Pretti's VA colleagues, who remembered him as a dedicated and caring nurse. VA Secretary Doug Collins offered condolences, attributing such tragedies to a lack of cooperation from state and local officials in enforcing immigration laws. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the shooting a tragedy but blamed "hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota."
In response to the shooting, Senate Democrats are calling for the DHS funding bill to be removed from a larger six-bill spending package slated for a Senate vote. Senator Chris Van Hollen argued this would allow for necessary reforms within the DHS budget, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated Democrats plan to advance the other five spending bills separately to avoid a partial government shutdown. Conversely, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins urged her colleagues to pass the full package, emphasizing that over 80% of the DHS funding pertains to non-immigration and non-border security functions, and warning against a government shutdown.