Senate Republicans and Democrats locked in an agreement to move forward with a behemoth funding package, smashing through resistance on both sides of the aisle. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teed up the final vote for the package Friday after hours of quelling resistance among Senate Republicans. Lawmakers will plow through several amendments before voting on the package, which is expected to pass and head to the House. 

That also means that, despite their best efforts, a government shutdown is all but guaranteed given that the deadline to fund the government is midnight Friday. 

The move came after President Donald Trump intervened to strike a deal with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Thursday, which will strip out the controversial Department of Homeland Security funding bill and tee up a two-week funding extension to keep the agency afloat. 

Trump urged Senate Republicans to support the plan in a post on Truth Social, where he argued that the only thing ‘that can slow our Country down is another long and damaging Government Shutdown’

‘I am working hard with Congress to ensure that we are able to fully fund the Government, without delay,’ Trump said. ‘Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security (including the very important Coast Guard, which we are expanding and rebuilding like never before).

‘Hopefully, both Republicans and Democrats will give a very much-needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ Vote,’ he continued.

It’s a bitter pill for Senate Republicans, who pushed onward with the original six-bill funding package despite Senate Democrats making clear that they would not support it if the DHS bill was still attached. 

Still, the successful first step virtually guarantees that the new, skinnier five-bill bundle and two-week continuing resolution (CR) will advance out of the Senate.

But it won’t prevent a partial government shutdown. 

That’s because the modification to the package, coupled with the CR for DHS, will need to be agreed to by the House, which is not in session until next week, at the earliest. From there, it is unclear how long it will take lawmakers in the lower chamber to process the bill, and resistance is mounting among angry fiscal hawks.

But Democrats aren’t walking away with everything they want, either. Before rapidly unifying behind the plan to block the DHS bill, Democratic leadership argued that a CR of any kind would effectively allow Trump to have a ‘slush fund’ for immigration operations.

Renegotiating the Homeland Security funding bill could backfire, too, given that congressional Democrats originally agreed to the restrictions baked into the current legislation and Republicans aren’t thrilled to relitigate the bill.

Ukraine is racing to reinforce its air defenses as a brief pause in Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities approaches its expiration, and military and diplomatic experts warn the move may do little to change conditions on the battlefield and could ultimately strengthen Moscow’s negotiating position.

Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump said at the White House, ‘I think we’re getting very close to getting a settlement,’ expressing optimism about the upcoming Russia-Ukraine talks. ‘Zelenskyy and Putin hate each other, and it makes it very difficult, but I think we have a good chance of getting it settled.’

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin agreed to a personal request from Trump to halt airstrikes on Kyiv until Feb. 1 to create what it described as favorable conditions for negotiations. Ukrainian officials stressed there is no formal ceasefire.

As temperatures in Kyiv are expected to plunge to minus-26 degrees Celsius beginning Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is moving to strengthen short-range air defenses against drones to protect frontline cities in the south and northeast.

‘Protection against Russian drones must be reinforced in our cities, such as Kherson and Nikopol, as well as in the border communities of the Sumy region, where the Russians have essentially set up an ongoing ‘safari’ against civilians,’ Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Despite the pause, Russian lawmakers and regional leaders have publicly urged escalation. Russian parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said deputies are calling for the use of more powerful ‘weapons of retribution,’ while Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said he opposed negotiations altogether.

Against that backdrop, experts told Fox News Digital the pause appears far more symbolic than transformative.

Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, a retired Navy SEAL and deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said the halt in strikes reflects political signaling rather than a military shift.

‘It’s symbolic in the sense of the dialogue and where we are in the negotiations,’ Harward told Fox News Digital. ‘President Trump wants to illustrate to the U.S. that his relationship with Putin delivers results. This is a validation of that relationship, which could be an indicator of where the overall negotiations are on ending the war.’

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former senior State Department and U.S. Mission to the United Nations official, said Russia’s agreement should not be misread as a move toward peace.

‘While I am certain that Ukrainian civilians welcome any brief pause, they also aren’t holding their breath because Putin’s war machine will not stop until his calculus is changed on the risks of continuing his war,’ Filipetti said.

She added that the short duration of the pause leaves Ukraine exposed.

‘Given how short the pause is and the duplicity of Russia saying it agreed to a week-long pause that expires in two days, this does not meaningfully change any conditions on the battlefield,’ she said.

Harward said Ukraine could face diplomatic consequences once the pause expires.

‘The risk to Ukraine is that this further weakens and isolates their role and position in the negotiations,’ he said.

Zelenskyy has also warned that Ukraine’s ability to defend civilians has been strained by delays in Western funding. He said European allies delayed payments under the PURL weapons purchase program, leaving Ukraine without Patriot air defense missiles ahead of recent Russian strikes that knocked out power across parts of Kyiv.

‘This is a critical issue for protecting civilians and Ukrainian cities and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the brutally cold winter months,’ Filipetti said. ‘As President Zelenskyy has said, there will be no electricity and therefore no heat for civilians if they don’t have enough Patriot missiles to defend against Russia’s ballistic missiles.’

Harward noted that the problem extends beyond Ukraine. 

‘Air Defense has been in high demand globally, considering the threats from Russia and China,’ he said. ‘Resources, expenses and the increased time to deliver and implement the capabilities add to the challenge.’

On whether the pause could open the door to broader de-escalation, both experts expressed caution.

‘This tactical pause only serves to reinforce Russia’s negotiating position,’ Harward said. ‘Putin is showing the worldthat he is willing to listen and respond. In return, he’ll want more support of his position and demands.’

‘Only time will tell,’ Filipetti said. ‘Diplomacy can always appear fruitless until there is a real deal. If this short pause, delivered by President Trump’s continued engagement and pressure on Putin, can be used to build additional progress in the trilateral talks, that would be a very positive outcome.’

Reuters contributed to this report.

As the threat of a possible U.S. attack against Iran looms, President Donald Trump’s administration has announced additional sanctions targeting Iranian figures.

The Treasury Department announced Friday that its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ‘took additional action against Iranian officials responsible for the regime’s brutal crackdown on its own people.’

‘Among the officials sanctioned today is Eskandar Momeni Kalagari, Iran’s minister of the interior who oversees the murderous Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF), a key entity responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters,’ the department said.

‘OFAC also designated Babak Morteza Zanjani, a criminal Iranian investor who previously embezzled billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenue that rightfully belonged to the Iranian people and was never fully recovered. Freed from imprisonment in order to launder money for the regime, Zanjani has provided financial backing for major projects that support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian regime more broadly.’

The Treasury Department also noted that OFAC designated two digital asset exchanges linked to Zanjani that ‘have processed large volumes of funds associated with IRGC-linked counterparties.’

The announcement comes as the Trump administration prepares for the possibility of military action against Iran.

Trump issued a saber-rattling Truth Social post Wednesday warning that the U.S. will attack if Iran does not negotiate a nuclear deal.

Trump suggested in a Truth Social post Wednesday that the U.S. could use force against Iran if a nuclear deal is not reached soon.

‘A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,’ the president warned in a Truth Social post Wednesday.

The commander in chief has in recent days been supplied with an expanded list of possible military actions against Iran to inflict additional damage on the foreign nation’s nuclear and missile sites or weaken the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing U.S. officials.

The military options go further than those the president was previously mulling earlier this month to fulfill his pledge to stop the slaughter of protesters, officials reportedly said.

The current list of options includes the prospect of U.S. forces executing raids inside the nation of Iran, according to the Times, which indicated that the protests have been crushed.

Israel announced Thursday that it will reopen the Rafah border crossing for people to travel between Gaza and Egypt for the first time since May 2024. 

Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which oversees humanitarian and civil efforts in Gaza, said the crossing ‘will open this coming Sunday (February 1st) in both directions, for limited movement of people only.’ 

‘The return of residents from Egypt to the Gaza Strip will be permitted, in coordination with Egypt, for residents who left Gaza during the course of the war only, and only after prior security clearance by Israel,’ COGAT said. 

‘In addition to initial identification and screening at the Rafah Crossing by the European Union mission, an additional screening and identification process will be conducted at a designated corridor, operated by the defense establishment in an area under IDF control,’ it continued.

This will be the first opening of the Rafah crossing for people since Israel seized the area in May 2024, according to Reuters. Israeli forces captured the territory as part of an effort to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza by the terrorist group Hamas. 

In early 2025, there was an evacuation of medical patients along the route during a temporary ceasefire, The Associated Press reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had said Sunday that Israel agreed to a ‘limited reopening’ of the crossing under President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

‘As part of President Trump’s 20-point plan, Israel has agreed to a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing for pedestrian passage only, subject to a full Israeli inspection mechanism,’ the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel wrote. 

The Prime Minister’s Office said the reopening was contingent on the return of all living hostages and what it described as a ‘100 percent effort’ by Hamas to locate and return the remains of all deceased hostages.

Israel on Monday then confirmed that the remains of Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza, have been recovered and returned home after 842 days. 

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., unloaded his frustrations with the latest iteration of a government funding package backed by President Donald Trump and laid out a stark warning to the top House Republican and the White House in the process. 

Graham is one of the few remaining holdouts blocking the Senate from moving on to a government funding package brokered by Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as lawmakers race to beat the government funding deadline at midnight on Friday. 

The top Trump ally’s frustrations with the funding package have little to do with the president or the deal struck with Schumer. Much of his ire is directed at a provision tucked in by the House last week that would repeal a law that allows senators whose phone records were subpoenaed by former special counsel Jack Smith to sue for up to $500,000 per infraction. 

And Graham was not happy that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., let the repeal slip through.

‘You could have called me about the $500,000,’ Graham said. ‘I’d be glad to work with you. You jammed me, Speaker Johnson. I won’t forget this. I got a lot of good friends in the House. If you think I’m going to give up on this, you really don’t know me.’

Graham has been a vocal proponent of that law, which was slipped into the last funding patch by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., with a green light from Schumer. 

He also turned his frustration on the White House.

‘I’ve been told the White House doesn’t like this, and I told the White House last night, ‘I don’t care if you like it or not.’ I literally texted my friends at the White House, ‘If I were you, I would not call me tonight.’’ 

‘And they didn’t call me,’ he continued. ‘I don’t work for the White House. They’re my political allies. I’m close to President Trump. I don’t work for him.’ 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have charged that it’s a law designed to allow their colleagues to enrich themselves off the taxpayers’ dime, and tried on several occasions in the Senate to repeal it.

Graham is willing to lift his hold on the package if he gets a vote on expanding the number of people and organizations who were affected by Smith’s Arctic Frost probe that can sue, along with a vote on his legislation that would criminalize the conduct of officials who operate sanctuary cities. 

Several other lawmakers are demanding amendment votes, too, which Republican leaders are currently working to address. A positive sign, however, is that none appear to be demanding a guaranteed outcome.