Republicans eye ending government shutdowns forever over fears Dems will do it again

By Fox News · Fox News

Senate Republicans are worried that Democrats will force a government shutdown in the fall, and are eyeing ways to prevent government funding from being weaponized ever again. Republicans are in the early stages of funding federal immigration enforcement through the party-line budget reconciliation process — a maneuver that would cut Democrats out of the process altogether. The push comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains closed after Democrats more than 60 days ago refused to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) unless Republicans agreed to stringent reforms, including warrant requirements and agents unmasking. SENATE TAKES FIRST STEP TO FUND ICE, BORDER PATROL IN BID TO CUT DEMS OUT OF THE FUNDING PROCESS Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said "it was a great idea," and claims conversations were ongoing about how to include a measure in the reconciliation package that could survive the strict Senate rules dictating what can and can’t be done through the partisan process. He told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon that Republicans tried and failed during the government shutdown last year to pass legislation that would prevent future shutdowns. "If we could figure out a way to execute on that — anything that we can do that would ensure that the Democrats don't decide once again to play partisan political games with the function of our government would be a good outcome," Thune said. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who has pushed legislation to prevent shutdowns, was skeptical about whether Republicans could actually get that kind of measure into the broader package. HOUSE CONSERVATIVES RAGE AGAINST SENATE DHS SHUTDOWN DEAL "I would support that," Hawley told Fox News Digital. "Will that happen? It seems to me to be pretty unlikely. But I think this package is baked, the text is out, it is what it is." He warned that Congress likely "would be facing this again" when the current fiscal ye…