ICE worker’s probably WILL….
In a prime example of how upside down things are in the Trump Admin. and the Republican led Congress…
The Homeland Spending Budget for 2026 SEEMS to be in TROUBLE…..
Separated from the other Spending Budgets needing Congressional approval?
It HAS enough money for ICE employee’s to get paid …
But NOT for members of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard….
Democrats ARE needed to get the DHS spending approved and they ARE in a hard place….
The ICE and CBP shooting death’s and media focus on the situation in the Minneapolis/StPaul ‘Surge’ area weigh heavily on Democrats in the Senate led by Sen. Schumer….
House Democrats do NOT have the votes….
In addition?
Democrats do NOT want to come across as pushing for radical cuts like some want to ‘Defund’ ICE, something that IS NOT going to happen…
In the end?
Democrats WILL have to settle with something the Republicans WILL have to give in against ICE, CBP and the freewheeling actions in Minnesota….
Republican CAN read the polling numbers….
Which show support for the effort in Minnesota dropping by the day
And….
Hurting the Republicans Midterm vote with that, also…..
Pessimism is increasing across the Capitol that lawmakers will reach a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as they point fingers over the lack of talks and float canceling the upcoming recess.
Senators return to Washington on Monday facing a sprint to strike a deal and avoid a shutdown that would affect agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard.
Democrats, facing intense pressure from their base to rein in Trump’s deportation crackdown, have insisted GOP lawmakers acquiesce on including far-reaching immigration reforms in the funding bill. Republicans have little appetite to even put most of those demands on the table. And, with a Feb. 13 deadline looming, negotiations hadn’t even gotten off the ground by the end of last week.
When asked of his level of optimism that a deal could come together by then, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) responded: “About a minus squillion.”
Kennedy placed the blame squarely on Democrats.
“It’s not enough time. … This is not about reforming DHS. This is about the Karen wing of the Democratic party that wants to defund ICE, just like they wanted to defund the police,” Kennedy said. “I think even if we agreed to every one of [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s] suggestions, I don’t think most Democrats would vote for the bill because the Karen wing of the party would punish them.”
Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) laid out the party’s 10-item wishlist in a letter to Republican leaders on Wednesday night — much of which was repurposed from their previous asks after Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
Atop their demands is requiring immigration agents to obtain judicial warrants and for ICE and CBP agents to un-mask while engaged in immigration operations. Both have landed like a thud with the GOP, who insist there will not be action on either front.
Much to the chagrin of negotiators, most of the missives have happened through the media rather than behind closed doors. No formal talks have gotten underway as of Saturday evening, according to one senior GOP aide familiar with the situation, though Democrats did send Republicans legislative text of their wish list earlier in the day.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters on Thursday that Republicans reached out numerous times to Schumer and top Democrats to engage in talks, but have been met with “crickets” — making them believe that they aren’t actually interested in a meaningful negotiation.
…
Further complicating negotiations is a potential impasse affecting what both sides acknowledge are important agencies or items that shouldn’t be caught up in a battle over ICE….
…
In essence, they want to isolate ICE and have a pure negotiation over it. Republicans showed few signs that they would go along with that.
“So, in other words, defund law enforcement,” Thune said about the possibility. “That’s kind of a large portion of what DHS is. I don’t know how you do that.”
Even if a DHS funding lapse were to happen, it is unlikely to affect ICE much. The GOP ensured that border operations would be covered for the foreseeable future in its “big, beautiful bill” that passed last summer.
The whole situation has lawmakers grasping at straws over how the two sides come together — and fast….
Note…
I hindsight?
Giving ICE a 10 year, $190 Billion, freepass, in the last Spending Bills WAS the birth of this situation…..
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