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The Democrats are so far rejecting *** counteroffer from the White House, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying it does not go far enough to put guardrails on immigration enforcement. The bottom line is it was incomplete and insufficient. We need legislative language that will rein in ice and end the violence. The proposal didn’t come close to doing that. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the Republican offer did not satisfy several Democratic demands, including stricter excessive force standards, stronger safeguards. At detention centers and tighter warrant requirements, the White House has not publicly released its proposal at this point, but an official tells me they’re having constructive talks with both parties, and the president wants the government to remain open. Senate Majority Leader John Thune reported some progress on Tuesday, but warned there is not enough time to reach *** deal on the future of immigration enforcement. Before Friday’s deadline, that’s why he’s calling for *** short-term extension to keep the Department of Homeland Security funded while those negotiations continue. Again, these are important agencies, important agencies of the American people, all of which need to be funded, and these federal employees at TSA and other agencies shouldn’t be held hostage by the Democrats. But *** potential short term funding extension is facing resistance from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The House’s top Republican saying he would consider that *** concession, while the House’s top Democrat saying he’s *** hard no on the idea. Reporting on Capitol Hill, I’m Jackie DeFusco.
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Congress clashes on ICE reform as funding deadline looms
Congress faces a Friday deadline to prevent a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security, but negotiations to rein in ICE are hitting roadblocks.
Congress faces a Friday deadline to prevent a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but negotiations on the future of immigration enforcement are hitting roadblocks. Democrats have so far rejected a counteroffer from the White House, which had not been made public as of Tuesday afternoon. A White House official said in an email that constructive conversations are continuing with both parties, but didn’t provide a copy of their proposal. “The bottom line is it was incomplete and insufficient,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on Tuesday. “We need legislative language that will rein in ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and end the violence. That proposal didn’t come close to doing that.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the proposal failed to satisfy several Democratic demands, including calls for stricter excessive force standards, safeguards at detention centers, and tighter warrant requirements. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., reported some progress on Tuesday but warned that Congress likely won’t have enough time to pass a deal before Friday’s deadline. He called on Congress to approve a short-term funding extension for DHS while negotiations on immigration enforcement tactics continue. Potential funding disruptions would have the biggest impact on agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Coast Guard, since Republicans surged resources for ICE last year. “These are important agencies for the American people, all of which need to be funded,” Thune said. “These federal employees at TSA and other agencies shouldn’t be held hostage by the Democrats.” For now, a short-term funding extension, often referred to as a continuing resolution (CR), is facing resistance from both sides of the aisle. On Tuesday morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Ky., said he would prefer to move forward with the full-year funding bill for DHS that previously passed in the House with bipartisan support. “Offering a CR would be a concession that we don’t believe in that product, and that’s just simply not the case,” Johnson said.Jeffries said he’s a “hard no” on a continuing resolution and accused Republicans of trying to “stall for time.” Asked if he would rule out a CR on Tuesday, Schumer told reporters, “There is no reason we can’t get it done by Thursday.” There are other strategies being discussed to blunt the impact of a partial shutdown if a broader deal isn’t reached. Some lawmakers have signaled an openness to funding other parts of DHS, while holding back ICE and Border Patrol funding. “The Republicans could simply fund FEMA, the Coast Guard, and all the other agencies, and go forward with that, and Democrats would, in fact, vote for that,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., on Tuesday. “If Republicans choose to shut down, it’s their choice to do it this way.” A White House official said Tuesday that the president wants the government to remain open, but didn’t specify what strategy he is backing.
Congress faces a Friday deadline to prevent a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but negotiations on the future of immigration enforcement are hitting roadblocks.
Democrats have so far rejected a counteroffer from the White House, which had not been made public as of Tuesday afternoon. A White House official said in an email that constructive conversations are continuing with both parties, but didn’t provide a copy of their proposal.
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“The bottom line is it was incomplete and insufficient,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on Tuesday. “We need legislative language that will rein in ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and end the violence. That proposal didn’t come close to doing that.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the proposal failed to satisfy several Democratic demands, including calls for stricter excessive force standards, safeguards at detention centers, and tighter warrant requirements.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., reported some progress on Tuesday but warned that Congress likely won’t have enough time to pass a deal before Friday’s deadline. He called on Congress to approve a short-term funding extension for DHS while negotiations on immigration enforcement tactics continue.
Potential funding disruptions would have the biggest impact on agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Coast Guard, since Republicans surged resources for ICE last year.
“These are important agencies for the American people, all of which need to be funded,” Thune said. “These federal employees at TSA and other agencies shouldn’t be held hostage by the Democrats.”
For now, a short-term funding extension, often referred to as a continuing resolution (CR), is facing resistance from both sides of the aisle.
On Tuesday morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Ky., said he would prefer to move forward with the full-year funding bill for DHS that previously passed in the House with bipartisan support.
“Offering a CR would be a concession that we don’t believe in that product, and that’s just simply not the case,” Johnson said.
Jeffries said he’s a “hard no” on a continuing resolution and accused Republicans of trying to “stall for time.”
Asked if he would rule out a CR on Tuesday, Schumer told reporters, “There is no reason we can’t get it done by Thursday.”
There are other strategies being discussed to blunt the impact of a partial shutdown if a broader deal isn’t reached. Some lawmakers have signaled an openness to funding other parts of DHS, while holding back ICE and Border Patrol funding.
“The Republicans could simply fund FEMA, the Coast Guard, and all the other agencies, and go forward with that, and Democrats would, in fact, vote for that,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., on Tuesday. “If Republicans choose to shut down, it’s their choice to do it this way.”
A White House official said Tuesday that the president wants the government to remain open, but didn’t specify what strategy he is backing.
