The killing of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis last weekend sparked something unusual in Washington: the Republican congressional majority allowing Democrats to make demands.
Amid a broader bipartisan consensus that some changes are needed at the Department of Homeland Security, Senate Democrats were able to forestall the passage of a DHS funding bill, which caused a partial government shutdown starting this morning; in the House, which wasn’t in session this week, Democratic demands are growing for more substantial DHS reforms, including the impeachment of its secretary. Here’s some of what New Jersey’s members of Congress did in Washington this week.
What percentage of Americans do you think know the government is partly shut down right now
The Senate went into this week intending to pass a six-bill funding package covering the rest of Fiscal Year 2026, but in the wake of the Pretti shooting, Democrats rebelled against the DHS portion of the bill.
Rather than trying to ram through the full package anyways, Republicans agreed to an amended package that keeps the other five bills intact but swaps out the DHS funding bill for a two-week stopgap, providing more time for negotiations. The House now needs to pass the amended package; until it does, the government will be in a partial shutdown.
Although Democrats were successful in sequestering DHS funding from the broader funding package, Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker still voted against the compromise; they were joined by 22 of their fellow Democrats as well as five Republicans in doing so.
“I voted No because I wanted to send a clear message to the Republicans that addressing the lawlessness we see in Minnesota and around the country is urgent, and we should be working through the weekend and not let up until we have safeguards for the American people,” Kim said. “I worry about what could happen this weekend as Trump said last night that his Administration isn’t backing off in Minnesota. I urge Americans to stay engaged and vocal.”
All roads lead to Noem
For most Democrats, reworking DHS’s funding is not enough. An effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, though almost certainly a nonstarter in the GOP-controlled Congress, has gained a huge amount of traction among congressional Democrats, earning the support or co-sponsorship of all eight of New Jersey’s Democratic House members.
That includes Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly), a moderate Democrat who voted for some of President Donald Trump’s immigration priorities early in his term, and Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon), who hails from a Trump-won district that Republicans are targeting this year.
“I call on President Trump to fire Secretary Noem immediately,” Pou said on Wednesday. “If he does not act, the House must begin impeachment proceedings without delay.”
“As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I have supported DHS’s intended mission to protect our nation,” she continued. “But under Secretary Kristi Noem, the department has prioritized political interests over public safety while retaliating against states like New Jersey and terrorizing American cities – a betrayal of its founding purpose. The nation has borne witness to the senseless killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and the cruel detention of children like Liam Conejo Ramos, all while federal agents escape accountability. DHS’s abuses are visible. Noem’s failures and betrayal of American values are undeniable.”
Tunnel vision
Back in October, President Trump said he had shut down funding for the Gateway Project, an enormous and critical rail tunnel project connecting New Jersey and Manhattan. The project still had funds to remain in operation at the time – but now officials are saying construction won’t be able to continue past February 6.
New Jersey Democrats, who alongside their New York counterparts have been pushing hard for the tunnel for years, reacted to the news with outrage, saying that the Trump administration needs to immediately release the frozen congressionally appropriated funds and allow the project to resume work.
“Every day that funding is withheld from Gateway brings us closer to the unthinkable: a derailed project that is already funded, the risk of tunnel failure or collapse, vastly reduced or even halted train traffic under the Hudson River, and profound negative national economic impacts,” states a letter to Trump signed by every Democrat in the New Jersey congressional delegation.
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), a pro-Gateway Republican whose district includes a large number of rail commuters, similarly said there should be no further delays to the project – but he, unlike his Democratic colleagues, isn’t criticizing Trump directly.
“Delays of any kind put jobs at risk, threaten reliability for hundreds of thousands of riders, and weaken one of the most important transportation arteries in the country,” Kean said. “I am pressing for this funding to move forward in full. While there are always competing priorities in Washington – this project must be completed.”
Mr. Warsh Goes to Warshington
President Trump announced yesterday that he will nominate Kevin Warsh to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, replacing Jerome Powell, whose term expires in May; Warsh previously served on the Federal Reserve board from 2006 to 2011.
Of course, Trump’s relationship with Powell and the Federal Reserve has been anything but ordinary; the president has tried to remove one member of the board, Lisa Cook, over dubious allegations of mortgage fraud, and tussled repeatedly with Powell over interest rates. Senator Kim, who is on the Senate Banking Committee that will consider Warsh’s nomination, said that he does not think the Senate should take up Warsh’s nomination until Trump ends his crusade against the board’s other members.
“Any consideration of Kevin Warsh’s nomination can only come after this president stops trying to use the Department of Justice as his political attack dog against The Fed Board,” Kim said. “The Senate must not settle for anything less than complete commitment to The Fed’s independence from both President Trump and anyone he nominates to sit in such a critical role for our economy and Americans’ financial security.”
Short-Circuited
Another effort by Alina Habba to earn reinstatement as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey – likely the last before she has to go to the Supreme Court – ran aground this week.
A three-judge panel of Third Circuit appellate judges ruled in December that Habba was not legally serving as acting U.S. Attorney, and Habba resigned a week later. The Department of Justice, however, filed a petition earlier this month to have the full Third Circuit rehear the case en banc, arguing that a case of such national importance should go before the entire court.
In a brief ruling on Monday, the Third Circuit turned the DOJ down; only three of the thirteen judges present, and none of the three judges who originally heard the case, saw reason for reconsidering the case. With no more options left in the Third Circuit, the Trump administration will have to turn to the Supreme Court next if it wants to try to reinstall Habba – and set a more favorable precedent for the myriad other U.S. Attorney challenges that have popped up around the country.
Other Garden State plots
• Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) said that, as part of an agency reorganization at the Federal Aviation Administration, the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township has shifted into a new division and will become a “key player in developing the future air traffic control system.”
“This is a big deal, and it is something I have been pushing for a long time,” Van Drew said. “For years, I have been working to make sure the FAA modernizes how it operates and fully uses the expertise at the FAA Technical Center right here in South Jersey. We fought to lock in the Tech Center permanently, and we pushed for a stronger focus on airspace modernization and advanced aviation technology. Now the FAA is finally putting that structure in place.”
• Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City), and LaMonica McIver (D-Newark) hosted a legal observer session this week to inform constituents on how to document the actions taken by immigration enforcement agents while remaining safe themselves.
“We have seen people killed by ICE agents for simply documenting their conduct and exposing what ICE wants to keep hidden,” McIver said. “Observers need to know their legal rights to document ICE operations so that these horrific abuses do not hide in the dark. This training will bring us a step closer to the oversight and accountability our communities deserve.”
• The Senate held a failed vote to advance the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act on Wednesday, much to the dismay of Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), who said the bill would have given more information to pregnant and parenting college students.
“The unconscionable decision of Senate Democrats to vote against cloture reflects an unwillingness to offer care to young parents throughout the United States, who continue to pursue college-level or higher degrees during pregnancy or post-birth,” Smith said. “There should be clear, bipartisan support for students who are pursuing an education and working towards a viable career path while caring for children or preparing to give birth.”
