By Anietie anii-bassey
Senate Democrats said Thursday they were prepared to block legislation financing the Department of Homeland Security and several other federal agencies, pushing Washington closer to a partial government shutdown unless Republicans and the White House agree to new limits on President Donald Trump’s stepped-up immigration enforcement campaign.
The standoff unfolded as lawmakers prepared for a key procedural vote that would determine whether the sprawling spending package could advance. While negotiators quietly explored potential compromises, the outcome remained uncertain as the clock ticked toward a midnight Friday deadline.
According to a person familiar with the discussions, the White House had signaled openness to a possible deal that would separate Homeland Security funding from the broader measure and extend it only temporarily, allowing additional time for negotiations over Democratic demands.
The rest of the legislation, which includes financing for the Defense Department and several other agencies, would be funded through the end of September under that approach.
Still, as senators headed to the floor, no agreement had been finalized.
“This is a moment of truth,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said, framing the vote as a test of whether Republicans would curb what Democrats describe as unchecked immigration enforcement.
The political temperature has been inflamed by the recent deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis during an encounter with federal agents, an episode that has galvanized Democrats and reshaped the debate over immigration policy on Capitol Hill.
In response, Democratic senators outlined a series of conditions they say must be met before they will allow Homeland Security funding to move forward, including requiring officers to remove masks, carry visible identification, wear body cameras and obtain warrants before making arrests.
If those demands are rejected, Democrats say they will withhold the votes Republicans need to overcome procedural hurdles in the Senate, effectively stalling the bill and triggering a partial shutdown.
Schumer said Wednesday that his party would not supply the necessary support until Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “reined in and overhauled.”
“The American people support law enforcement. They support border security,” he said. “They do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens.”
Democrats have pressed the White House to carve out Homeland Security funding from the broader package to prevent a wider shutdown, while continuing talks over potential changes to immigration enforcement. The temporary extension under discussion would give lawmakers time to negotiate reforms while keeping the department operating in the interim.
The confrontation comes just two months after a prolonged shutdown that lasted 43 days, sparked when Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies and Republicans refused to negotiate. That impasse ended only after a small group of moderate Democrats broke ranks, but party leaders now say their caucus is more unified, hardened by the fatal Minneapolis shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, urged both sides to keep talking.
“We’re getting closer,” Thune told colleagues Thursday morning.
President Trump also alluded to the negotiations as he opened a Cabinet meeting, saying, “We’re working on that right now,” while declining to offer details. “We don’t want a shutdown,” he added.
Democrats insist they are acting in concert. Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said after a caucus lunch Wednesday that there was widespread agreement on the need for accountability.
“Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” Smith said. “There has to be accountability.”
Earlier Thursday, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said federal immigration authorities were drafting plans to reduce the number of agents operating in Minnesota, though he emphasized that any drawdown would depend on cooperation from state officials. It was unclear whether that assurance would satisfy Democrats, who are demanding broader changes nationwide.
Schumer said his party wants an end to what he called “roving patrols” in cities and tighter coordination with local law enforcement, including stricter warrant requirements. Democrats are also seeking an enforceable code of conduct so agents who violate rules can be disciplined.
The caucus is united behind those proposals, Schumer said, arguing that Republicans bear responsibility for accepting what he described as “common sense reforms.”
Negotiators, however, face significant procedural and political obstacles. The House last week approved the remaining six annual funding bills and sent them to the Senate as a single package, complicating efforts to peel off Homeland Security spending. Republicans could attempt to break the bundle apart only with unanimous consent or through a series of time-consuming votes that could stretch past the Friday deadline.
At the same time, not every Democrat appears willing to accept a short-term extension. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has said Congress should not provide “another penny” to ICE unless Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is removed from her post.
Across the Capitol, House Republicans have signaled little appetite for revisiting the legislation they passed. In a letter to Trump earlier this week, the conservative House Freedom Caucus pledged support for the president and immigration agents, warning that the bill would not return to the chamber without full Homeland Security funding intact.
Shortly before the Senate vote, Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, urged Democrats to advance the package so talks could continue.
“If we do not get on the package we cannot change the package,” Collins said. “This morning’s vote is about taking the first step, not the final step.”
Some Republicans have indicated they could accept separating the bills, but balk at altering enforcement policies. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he would be open to debating Homeland Security funding separately but opposed Democrats’ demand that agents be barred from covering their faces, even as he criticized Noem for decisions he said were “tarnishing” the department’s reputation.
“There’s a lot of vicious people out there,” Tillis said, arguing that public identification could expose agents’ families to threats.
Other Republicans are warning they would counter Democratic proposals with their own conditions. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he would insist that any revised Homeland Security package include language permanently ending so-called sanctuary city policies.
Democrats, however, signaled they were not prepared to retreat.
“It is truly a moral moment,” said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal. “I think we need to take a stand.”
With neither side yet yielding and time running short, the fight over immigration enforcement and federal spending has set the stage for another high-stakes confrontation in Congress, one that could soon ripple across federal agencies and the broader economy if lawmakers fail to reach a deal before funding expires.
Original article
Comments