Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) hold a press conference at the Capitol in Washington on January 8, 2026.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Congressional Democrats announced Friday that they had received a counteroffer from the White House on funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
The department has been closed since February 14 after lawmakers failed to reach a consensus on immigration enforcement regulations.
“We have received the White House’s counterproposal and are considering it closely. Democrats remain committed to continuing to fight for real reform to rein in ICE and stop violence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, said in a statement.
Negotiations over DHS funding have intensified after a federal immigration agent shot and killed two Americans during a migrant surge in Minneapolis, after which the Trump administration announced it would scale back the operation.
Democrats are calling for changes to DHS’ immigration tactics. They want to ban federal immigration agents from wearing masks, require body cameras and require judicial warrants to search homes. The White House and Republicans are holding off on banning mask-wearing and requiring judicial warrants.
As negotiations dragged on, Senate Democrats on Monday blocked the House-passed DHS funding bill for the second time.
“Yesterday, the White House issued another significant counteroffer. Democrats must act to end the government shutdown before more Americans suffer from underfunding critical services like disaster relief,” a White House official said Friday.
Despite the closure, most DHS employees are considered essential and continue to work. The agency is partially funded by last year’s massive tax and spending bill.
But some employees, including those in DHS agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency, could be forced to work without pay if the shutdown continues.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
—CNBC’s Dan Mangan and Garrett Downs contributed to this report.
