The Department of Homeland Security shutdown is beginning to create new political pressure in Washington. The standoff over immigration enforcement funding has dragged on as lawmakers continue negotiations.
Republicans accuse Democrats of trying to reopen portions of DHS while refusing to fund the agency’s broader mission. They argue the approach undermines national security during a tense moment for the country, Fox News reported.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., criticized the strategy during remarks about the ongoing shutdown.
“And that’s at a time when our homeland is under attack, all warning lights are flashing red, and they want to peel apart, piece by piece, the Department of Homeland Security, the comprehensive department of our government to protect the American people, because they want to stand with illegal immigrant criminals.”
Democratic leaders say they are pursuing a different approach to reopening the agency. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats want to pass separate bills that would restore funding for agencies like TSA and FEMA.
“We don’t have to tie that disagreement up and use people at the airports and American citizens as hostages.”
Republicans say they have already proposed temporary funding measures to keep DHS running while negotiations continue. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said those proposals have been repeatedly blocked.
“I assume the Democrat leader is aware of the fact that we have tried repeatedly to fund everything temporarily to allow the negotiations over the ICE budget to continue.”
The shutdown has begun to create divisions within the Democratic Party. Some lawmakers are now signaling that the agency should be fully funded while negotiations continue.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., has recently suggested DHS should receive funding after previously voting against a funding measure. Her comments came after a recent terror attack in Michigan brought renewed attention to homeland security concerns.
Democrats have also accused Republicans of politicizing airport staffing and security issues during the shutdown. Some lawmakers say travelers and TSA workers are being caught in the middle of the dispute.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., criticized Republicans for blocking a proposal focused on TSA operations.
“They don’t care about their constituents, the traveling public, and the folks who work there who are not part of this discussion or this argument.”
After weeks of stalemate, the shutdown is beginning to test the party’s messaging. Slotkin’s shift is one of the clearest signs yet that pressure over the funding fight is increasing.
Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a House-passed bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, extending a 27-day shutdown even as the United States faces escalating domestic terror threats and ongoing instability tied to the Iran conflict.
The procedural motion to advance the funding bill failed in a 51–46 vote. Sixty votes were required to overcome a filibuster. Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans to move the legislation forward.
It marked the fourth time since Feb. 12 that Senate Democrats have voted to block Homeland Security funding.
The House-passed bill would fund DHS through the remainder of the fiscal year, restoring full operations to agencies including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Instead, the partial shutdown continues to hamper agency operations, strain personnel and delay funding for critical homeland security functions.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune accused Democrats of refusing repeated compromise offers from the White House.
“There have been offers made repeatedly, the most recent of which was 13 days ago,” Thune said on the Senate floor. He proposed a short-term funding resolution to reopen the department in full while negotiations over immigration enforcement reforms continue.