Republicans on Wednesday balked at a Democratic counterproposal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers and the White House are racing to reach a deal before going into a two-week recess scheduled for Friday ahead of a busy U.S. travel week for spring break and Easter holidays.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Wednesday that there was “no point” in Republicans releasing a new response to Democratic objections, and said the Senate would vote the same day on the Republican version announced earlier this week.
“That’s far from reality,” Thune said of the counteroffer. “They know better. They’re asking for things that have already been turned down. That’s why they seem to be going around in circles.”
The White House criticized Democrats’ role in the negotiations.
“It is ludicrous that Democrats are demanding more reforms from an agency they still refuse to fund,” a White House official said in an email Wednesday on condition of anonymity. “This latest stunt by the Democrats proves they are not interested in serious dialogue and don’t care that the government shutdown is hurting the American people.”
Differences between Republicans and Democrats mean a deal is far from certain by the end of the week. The optimism of the beginning of the week began to fade by Wednesday, with airport security lines long and lawmakers appearing to be at an impasse.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning that Democrats are looking for a solution. He spoke out against recent proposals from Republicans, calling them “malicious.”
“Our proposal is a reasonable, good-faith proposal that includes some of the very same demands that Democrats have been talking about for months,” Schumer said.
Schumer did not list specific points of his proposal, but Democrats have been pushing for changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s immigration practices in recent months. These changes include requiring a judicial warrant for federal agents to enter private property and banning the use of masks.
“We have now given Republicans an answer. This is a serious proposal. I want to say to my Republican colleagues that time is of the essence,” Schumer said. “The Easter holidays are coming up and families are heading off for spring break. TSA lines are literally stretching to the door at the airport.”
The counter comes after Senate Republicans and the White House announced a proposal earlier this week that would withhold funding from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s removal operations while funding most government agencies.
Democrats railed against the proposal because it contained none of the changes to ICE they had been demanding. Sen. Angus King-Eimein, a moderate who caucused with Democrats and voted with Republicans on government funding, said Wednesday he remains a “no.” King said the Republican proposal was a “fantasy.” That’s because the proposal would still fund ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations division, which conducts enforcement and removal operations.
In response, Republicans argued that Democrats had moved the goalposts.
Sen. John Hoeven (R) said Democrats should “stop running around” over DHS funding. And on Wednesday, from the Senate floor, Thune touted existing Republican proposals, including, in addition to the first round of DHS funding, a Republican-led attempt at a second legislative package to replenish ICE funding and pass the Trump-based voter ID SAVE America Act.
“Democrats have repeatedly said they want to pay the TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA and employees who protect America from cyberattacks,” Thune said. “This bill will do that. We hope Democrats will work with us to reach a deal and reopen the Department of Homeland Security this week.”
DHS has been closed since February. Transportation Security Administration employees have been behind on paychecks or skipped work, leading to huge lines at airports across the country. President Trump this week began sending ICE agents to airports to assist TSA agents.
Democrats rejected funding for the agency after federal agents killed an American citizen during a migrant surge in Minneapolis in January. They have repeatedly pushed for votes to fund all of DHS except ICE, which Republicans oppose.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said Wednesday that frustration is growing.
“We literally gave them what they wanted three days ago and then all of a sudden it’s like, oh no, now we’ve got something new. This has been the story for a long time,” Lankford said. “It’s been a constant journey. One more thing, one more thing.”
Asked if he thought the Senate would go into recess, Lankford said “no.”
— Emily Wilkins contributed to this article.
