The Senate floor erupted Wednesday as Republicans and Democrats sparred over funding the Department of Homeland Security, with neither side close to reaching a deal as the partial shutdown drags on.
While senators met behind closed doors just steps from the chamber, party leaders accused each other of refusing to negotiate over reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the key sticking point in the standoff.
What the Left Is Saying
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said their demands for reform are straightforward, though Republicans have drawn red lines against proposals that would require ICE agents to obtain judicial warrants and unmask their identities, citing concerns about doxxing.
"But the bottom line is they refused, probably because the right wing doesn't like it," Schumer said. "So then let's fund everything else but ICE and Border Patrol."
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, attempted to force a vote on a DHS spending bill that stripped out funding for ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, arguing Democrats would not be "blackmailed" into funding immigration operations after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, who were shot and killed by ICE agents in Minnesota.
"I am willing to talk to people, but I'm not willing to sit in a room, have coffee, give away a few things, and have Stephen Miller override whatever we all agreed to in a room," Murray said.
Democrats have offered a funding proposal that would carve out immigration enforcement but reopen other key functions, including the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
What the Right Is Saying
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., addressed Democratic objections directly: "You can cry about it. You can whine about it. You lost an election over it. The White House has dealt with you in good faith. You want to prolong this until you get another incident, while your activists are on the street confronting ICE agents in sanctuary jurisdictions, hoping they get some viral moment."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republicans are trying to close a deal that would fund all agencies Democrats say they want funded with reforms to ICE. "I've seen the offer sheet from the White House, and they have gone a lot farther, a lot farther than any Democrat I thought was even possible," Thune said.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who was tapped by Thuna to lead DHS negotiations for Senate Republicans, contended that Murray and Senate Democrats' latest offer "would effectively defund our law enforcement."
"Look, we're not going back to the era of 'defund the police,'" Britt said. "We're not doing it."
Republicans have delegated final say over any agreement to the White House, though the back and forth between both sides has slowed to a grinding halt.
What the Numbers Show
Both ICE and CBP are flush with billions in funding for the next several years thanks to Republicans' recent spending bill, though Democrats have sought to separate this existing funding from new appropriations.
The White House made its last offer nearly two weeks ago, and Democrats rejected it. Neither side has presented a formal counteroffer since that rejection.
Senate Republicans have linked any short-term DHS reopening to continued negotiations on ICE reforms, while Democrats have pushed for funding TSA and FEMA as separate from immigration enforcement.
The Bottom Line
The DHS shutdown stalemate remains deadlocked with no clear path to resolution. Republicans insist ICE reforms must be part of any funding bill, while Democrats argue that immigration enforcement should be separated from other homeland security functions. The White House's last offer was rejected nearly two weeks ago, and neither side has moved significantly since. What happens next depends on whether either party is willing to accept a compromise that includes funding for agencies they view as non-controversial, or whether the impasse continues until a major incident forces action.