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Senate Democrats aren’t ready to concede in their push for stringent reforms to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and are ready to buck Senate Republicans’ plans to avert a partial shutdown.
Their resistance comes as Senate Republicans and the White House have floated a counteroffer to Democrats’ proposed DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reforms. But the two sides remain far apart on a deal to fund the agency, and they are quickly running out of time.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the top-ranking Senate Democrat on the Homeland Security spending panel, said he would not support another short-term DHS funding extension unless Republicans made meaningful concessions on immigration enforcement.
SCHUMER, JEFFRIES TRASH TRUMP’S DHS PROPOSAL AS ‘INCOMPLETE AND INSUFFICIENT’
Senate Democrats aren’t ready to concede in their push for stringent reforms to DHS and ICE, and are ready to buck Senate Republicans’ plans to avert a partial shutdown. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty)
Murphy also dismissed the White House’s proposal as a list of “sophomoric talking points.”
“We had plenty of time, they wasted two weeks,” Murphy said. “They still haven’t given us any meaningful answer or response.”
His position is shared by several Senate Democrats, who have unified around a push to codify a list of 10 DHS reforms. Those include requirements that ICE agents obtain judicial warrants, unmask and display identification — provisions Republicans have labeled red lines.
The standoff follows criticism late Monday from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who rejected President Donald Trump’s counteroffer.
In a joint statement, the leaders said the proposal “is both incomplete and insufficient in terms of addressing the concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.” Jeffries added that he would not support another short-term funding patch, known as a…
