DHS ENTERS SHUTDOWN AFTER CONGRESS SKIPS TOWN WITHOUT DEAL ON ICE

Thune’s position underscored the lack of progress with reaching a deal on Senate Democrats’ demands to restrict President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda in exchange for funding DHS, which houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has been shuttered since Feb. 14. The approach would take away pressure on Democrats while allowing Republicans to sidestep the scrutiny of passing a spending bill that omits ICE.

Trump’s massive tax and spending package that passed last year funds ICE into 2029, including during the shutdown, lowering pressure to fund the agency immediately.

During negotiations prior to the partial shutdown, Democrats pushed to fund everything under DHS except ICE to limit the shutdown’s impact, and wanted Congress to appropriate the funds rather than the administration shuffling money around as it did for defense spending during last year’s shutdown.

But Thune suggested the White House could step in for unpaid workers under DHS, including the Coast Guard and Secret Service.

“Part of it’s going to depend on how much authority they have to do that, what access to resources to do that,” Thune added to the Washington Examiner. “But anything you can do to keep people working.”

The White House did not provide comment.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the ball is in Republicans’ court to fund DHS and that they have yet to receive a counterproposal after making their latest offer to the White House more than a week ago.

“That’s up to the Republicans. Very simply, all they have to do is agree with our simple ideas that every police department — just about — in America follows, and we’ll get it all done,” Schumer said. “It’s plain and simple.”

WINTER STORMS COLLIDE WITH SHUTDOWN FIGHT, PUTTING PRESSURE ON FEMA

Trump made a brief mention of the DHS shutdown in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, placing blame on Democrats and offering little indication that the impasse will be resolved soon.

“As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” Trump said. “Tonight, I’m demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for the border security, homeland security of the United States, and also for helping people clean up their snow.”