After a bipartisan group of senators swarmed the Senate chamber, one Democratic lawmaker walked out of the negotiations shaking his head, saying he was dissatisfied with the state of the negotiations.
ICE agents dispatched to airports as TSA shortage worsens
Travelers are facing long lines at TSA as ICE officers are deployed to airports during the partial government shutdown.
WASHINGTON – The Senate again voted March 25 against advancing a funding proposal for the Department of Homeland Security, a sign that momentum to end the chaotic government shutdown from earlier in the week is slowing.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said ahead of the vote that it would reflect the latest Republican proposal to fund all DHS except ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Division. Democrats pushed back by flatly refusing to move forward with the bill, expressing frustration that the Republican proposal did not include additional immigration enforcement reforms recently agreed to by the White House.
Ahead of the vote, a bipartisan group of senators crowded the floor of the Senate chamber, including Alabama Republican Katie Britt, a key negotiator in the negotiations to end the DHS shutdown. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) left the meeting shaking his head and told reporters he was frustrated.
Also at the rally was Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. He then said one of the main problems is that under the Republican-proposed framework, the Department of Homeland Security could still use other officials to conduct ICE enforcement operations.
“It’s a fantastic solution,” he said.
After what appeared to be a breakthrough on March 23, Republicans presented Democrats with a three-page amendment that included “all of the original reforms” of the bipartisan bill negotiated earlier this year, according to Thun spokesman Ryan Rath.
Democrats countered that the previous law had been parsed before Border Patrol agents killed Alex Preti in January, sparking widespread public backlash. They are calling for further reforms, including banning ICE and Border Patrol agents from wearing masks and requiring a judicial warrant to conduct immigration searches.
“ICE is currently violating 90 different court orders,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, told reporters. “Without reform, we would be violating our oath of office to fund ICE.”
But Thune said on March 25 that reform would be off the table if Republicans agreed not to fully fund ICE. Despite this, ICE is still operating on a huge influx of funding provided by Republicans last year.
“Why would you ask for a policy change that would apply to funding if there is no funding?” Thun said. “I think they know that the warrant issue and the mask issue are very difficult areas to write policy on.”
Democrats sent a new proposal to Republicans on March 25, but Thune and other Republicans have already withdrawn it.
The situation remains volatile as Congress approaches a March 27 deadline for a two-week recess for Easter and Passover. Two days before the furlough was scheduled to begin, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, was not optimistic that lawmakers’ furloughs would remain unchanged. The ball is on the Republican side, she said.
“I don’t control the floor,” she told USA TODAY.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
