Trump and the Democratic Party have made progress in negotiations to avoid a government shutdown, but key differences over the Homeland Security budget remain unresolved.

According to informed sources, negotiations between senior Democrats in the US Senate and the Trump administration to avoid a government shutdown are closer to the Democrats' demands. The source said on Wednesday evening that no agreement has been reached yet. Without an agreement, funding for several federal government departments, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services, will run out on Saturday. New York State Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer insisted that Republicans agree to remove long-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security from a major spending bill to keep the government running after Friday. Following an incident in Minneapolis this month that resulted in the deaths of two American citizens by federal agents, some Senators from both parties indicated that they might support a short-term stopgap measure for funding the Department of Homeland Security in order to allow more time for discussion on potential restrictions on immigration enforcement actions. Schumer and other Democrats proposed a series of amendments, including requiring law enforcement officers to forgo wearing masks, wear body cameras, and obtain search warrants before entering homes. They also called for an end to immigration raids. The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on the spending bill at 11:30 am Eastern Time on Thursday. Any Senator could trigger a brief government shutdown through procedural actions. Senate Majority Leader John Thune did not rule out the possibility of splitting the spending bill to avoid a shutdown, saying he wanted to keep all options on the table. However, he expressed a preference for keeping the bill intact, noting that any changes would need to be approved by the House of Representatives, which is currently on recess this week. Thune stated that any breakthrough would depend on negotiations between Democrats and the White House. Some conservative Republican members of the House of Representatives have indicated that they would also make their own demands if the Democrats make concessions on their tough stance on immigration enforcement by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol in states like Minnesota. It is understood that Schumer is close to reaching an agreement with President Donald Trump, which would include splitting funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment early Thursday morning. Trump has recently hinted at adjusting his government's deportation actions. Public opinion polls show that this tough strategy is increasingly unpopular among voters and could pose a risk to the Republican Party in the upcoming midterm elections.