Congressional Democrats sent their latest counteroffer to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, breaking their silence after stalling for 18 days amid negotiations with the White House.
Democratic leaders sent the offer around 11 p.m. on Monday, and White House officials are “currently reviewing” the details, an administration official told the Deseret News. But top Republicans on Capitol Hill said the latest proposal “didn’t change much from where we were.”
“There are things that, in my view, have been significant gives on the part of the White House, but the Democrats seem intent on dragging out this political issue,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters on Tuesday.
Democrats have been engaging directly with the White House on funding for DHS for the 2026 fiscal year since early February. Congress was on track to pass a spending bill that had been negotiated between both parties, but Democrats scuttled those plans after a pair of deadly shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis in January.
Since then, Democrats have demanded major reforms to how immigration officers can operate, including body cameras and judicial warrants. But as talks drag on, Democrats say the White House isn’t offering enough while Republicans say the minority party is refusing to compromise.
“I was going over last night some of the gives that the White House had made that went above and beyond,” Thune said. “And there’s a lot of stuff in there. I mean, even with respect to body cameras, there was $20 million in the original bill, there’s $100 million in the proposal from the White House to include audits by the Inspector General in reviews for noncompliance.”
Federal funding for DHS lapsed at midnight on Feb. 14, leaving the department shuttered for over a month. That’s caused challenges for agencies beyond those that deal with immigration, such as the Transportation Security Administration that has dealt with major airline delays due to staffing shortages.
TSA agents have not been paid since the shutdown began, prompting pushback from Republicans and those who work in the industry. Democrats have suggested stripping TSA from the full DHS bill to fund the agency on its own, but Republicans have rejected that idea over concerns it would leave all agencies funded but those that have to do with immigration and border security.
“They want to peel off all the things that they want to fund and not deal with the things that they don’t,” Thune said. “What I’m saying is, we can do this, and we can do it with the reforms — or a lot of the reforms that you’ve been requesting — but we’ve got to have a meaningful conversation where we sit down at the table and actually work these issues out.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said on Monday that party leaders “continue to have dialogue” with the White House regarding DHS funding. That comment came hours before Democrats sent a counteroffer for the first time in nearly three weeks.
But Senate Republicans have pushed back on the characterization that negotiations are ongoing, telling reporters late last week that Democrats have been giving radio silence.
“Members need to get in a room, have tough conversations and figure out a pathway for the American citizens and their safety and security should matter more than politics in November,” Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, who is leading negotiations for Senate Republicans, said on Thursday. “Unfortunately, Democrats continue to try to take hostages.”