Senator Lindsey Graham has effectively halted the bipartisan Senate funding deal, vowing to maintain his block until he is guaranteed a vote on landmark legislation to criminalize sanctuary cities. As of Friday, January 30, 2026, the government is just hours away from a midnight deadline that could trigger a partial shutdown for 78% of federal departments.
Graham’s legislation aims to impose criminal penalties on state and local officials who “willfully interfere” with federal immigration enforcement.
The bill would make it a crime for mayors or governors to shield illegal immigrants from apprehension or to withhold immigration records from federal authorities.
In a floor speech, Graham argued that sanctuary policies are the “root cause” of recent chaos, stating, “You do not get to pick and choose the laws you don’t like”.
While Graham noted some Democratic reforms for ICE (like body cameras) make sense, he rejected the “compromise” bill as a “Band-Aid solution” that fails to address the lawlessness of non-compliant jurisdictions.
