Jeffries says ‘dramatic reform’ to DHS must precede shutdown vote
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the House should not approve DHS funding until the department is “dramatically reformed.” Speaking on ABC’s This week amid a partial government shutdown, Jeffries praised the Senate’s agreement on a two‑week stopgap for DHS and said the House’s hold on the bill is a step in the right direction after two fatal shootings involving federal immigration officers in Minneapolis. He and Senate Democrats, he said, want reforms such as mandatory body cameras, removal of masks for agents, and strict requirement of judicial warrants before DHS or ICE agents enter homes or remove people from cars. Jeffries called for immediate action from the administration and said Democrats woudl discuss next steps with their caucus. Although DHS would continue operating (it was previously funded under President Trump’s One Big Lovely Bill Act), the two‑week extension must pass the House — a vote that could prolong the shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is confident a bill will pass the House soon, but his thin GOP majority would allow only one Republican defection.
Jeffries says ‘dramatic reform’ to DHS must precede vote to end shutdown
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was adamant that the Department of Homeland Security will have to be “dramatically reformed” before the House passes funding for the agency.
Jeffries appeared on ABC News’s This Week on Sunday, days after the start of a partial government shutdown. The appropriations bill for DHS was the only one that was not passed as is, with senators agreeing on a two-week stopgap funding the agency while negotiations about reform play out. According to Jeffries, the decision to hold on passing the House version of the bill was “a meaningful step in the right direction” after two fatal shootings involving federal immigration officers in Minneapolis.
“We’ll meet later on this afternoon as a caucus to discuss what we believe is the best path. What is clear is that the Department of Homeland Security needs to be dramatically reformed,” Jeffries said.
“We share that view as does leader Schumer and Senate Democrats in a variety of different ways,” he added. “Body cameras should be mandatory. Masks should come off. Judicial warrants should absolutely be required consistent with the Constitution in our view before DHS agents or ICE agents are breaking into the homes of the American people or ripping people out of their cars.”
The two-week extension must pass the House, which could lead to a longer shutdown. ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked Jeffries if he would vote for funding DHS before the reforms are negotiated.
“We’re going to have that conversation later on today and as we return to Washington. But the one thing that we’ve said publicly is that we need a robust path toward dramatic reform,” Jeffries said. “The administration can’t just talk the talk. They need to walk the walk. That should begin today, not in two weeks, today.”
Still, whether the shutdown continues or not, it would not stop DHS from operating. President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act already funded DHS with over $170 billion.
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While Jeffries digs in on reform, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on Sunday he is “confident” a new bill will pass the House quickly. Johnson predicted the shutdown could end as soon as Tuesday.
In the House, the bill would only have to pass with a simple majority, though the GOP’s is slim. Johnson can only afford to lose one Republican in a vote.
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