Washington — The Senate failed to advance a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, 11 days into a partial government shutdown with no apparent end in sight.
In a 50 to 45 vote, the measure fell short of the 60-vote threshold needed to move forward. The vote marked a second attempt to advance the measure and came after lawmakers returned to Washington following a weeklong recess without a deal to reform federal immigration agencies.
Congress’ failure to reach an agreement on how to fund DHS prompted a funding lapse for the department, which also oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard. The major sticking point has been over Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Democrats have pledged to withhold funds unless they are reined in.
Congressional leaders had appeared hopeful that negotiators could reach a deal while lawmakers were away on recess. The two sides have been trading proposals in recent days, with the latest counteroffer coming from Democrats last week. But a White House official said after receiving the offer that the parties remained far apart.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed Tuesday that the White House and Republicans “have not budged on the key issues.”
“So far we’ve heard crickets from them — nothing, they’re not negotiating,” Schumer said at a news conference. “They’re just trying to pass paper back and forth with no real changes.”
Republicans have pointed to the administration’s efforts to turn down the temperature following the deadly shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents in Minneapolis last month, including the recent move to bring the immigration crackdown to an end. But Democrats have remained adamant about the need for broader reforms.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reiterated Democrats’ demands on Sunday, including requiring judicial warrants for arrests, independent investigations and barring immigration agents from entering sensitive locations. The New York Democrat said “we believe that this moment should be used to make dramatic changes to ICE that are bold, that are transformational and that are meaningful.”
“These are basic, commonsense demands that have been laid out, and unfortunately, rather than dramatically reform ICE, the administration has decided to shut down FEMA, shut down the TSA and shut down the Coast Guard,” Jeffries said on “Fox News Sunday.”
ICE and CBP received tens of billions of dollars in separate funding last year, meaning the shutdown is having minimal impact on immigration enforcement. But the funding lapse is set to begin impacting other parts of DHS, with FEMA and TSA workers and the Coast Guard — most of whom are deemed essential and have continued to work during the shutdown — expected to receive only a partial paycheck later this week.
Over the weekend, the effects of the shutdown seemed poised to be felt more broadly at airports. The department announced it would suspend TSA PreCheck, before reversing course. Still, Global Entry and courtesy escorts for members of Congress are on pause for the time being, DHS said.
Schumer responded to the moves Sunday, calling them “bullying tactics.”
“The Trump administration is choosing to inflict pain on the public instead of adopting common-sense ICE reforms,” Schumer said in a statement.
The failed procedural vote in the Senate on Tuesday came after the chamber failed to advance the same measure shortly before the DHS funding deadline earlier this month.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune lamented earlier in the day Tuesday that Democrats appeared poised to once again block the measure from moving forward. He claimed that Democrats’ posture in negotiations has raised the question of whether they’re “actually interested in a solution,” or whether they’re simply interested in a “political issue.”
“There’s room for compromise here,” Thune said. “But only if both sides give room. Democrats aren’t doing that.”
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