WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security shutdown enters its 14th day as the White House and Senate Democrats remain at a standstill.
Thousands of federal workers under DHS will begin to miss their paychecks today, with the vast majority of employees required to continue working during the funding lapse. Missed paychecks, which DHS employees are facing during a third shutdown in less than six months, could ratchet up pressure on lawmakers to find a way out of the stalemate.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., the lead Republican negotiator for DHS funding, said she has re-engaged in talks this week with Democrats to find a “pathway forward.” Much of the discussion has been between the White House and Democrats.
“I am hopeful that those conversations can actually produce a result,” Britt told Alabama Daily News. “I’m not at liberty to talk about exactly where we are on those but (I) have re-engaged, have restarted that.”
While immigration enforcement operations remain funded from money allocated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Agency and the Coast Guard are operating without funds right now.
Britt wants to get the department’s funding up and running again next week.
“So, I’m gonna work around the clock, this weekend, trying to get things moving in the right direction,” she said.
On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said there’s only been “crickets” from the White House after Democrats sent administration officials a counterproposal on DHS funding last Monday.
But a White House official told ADN that it had sent a “serious counter offer” to Democrats on Thursday.
“Democrats need to make a move to end the shutdown before more Americans are harmed by a lack of funding for critical services like disaster relief,” the White House official said.
Democrats have held up DHS funding over the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis.
“All (Republicans) 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. Plain and simple,” Schumer told reporters.
Senate Democrats have remained persistent in pushing for curbs on immigration enforcement.
According to a DHS contingency plan, more than 20,000 workers at FEMA and more than 61,00 workers at TSA are required to work during the shutdown. This week, DHS took additional steps to deal with the funding lapse by halting all non-disaster-related FEMA response efforts and ending Global Entry service at airports. As workers miss paychecks, travel disruptions could escalate the longer the shutdown lasts.
Senate Majority Leader Thune, R-S.D., signaled he was open to the White House finding a way to pay federal employees if the two sides cannot reach an agreement any time soon.
“If they can figure out a way to pay government employees, absolutely,” Thune told reporters Wednesday.
Britt echoed that getting workers paid is a priority, but she also wants to focus on funding the “entire” Homeland Security Department.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., isn’t very optimistic that a deal could arise soon from the negotiations between the Democrats and the White House, saying “they’re not even close.”
“(Democrats) have gone way out on a limb of trying to tie the hands of our law enforcement, our ICE agents,” Tuberville told ADN. “We don’t need to put them in harm’s way. We need to take and arrest as many illegals, especially the ones that are criminals, (and) get them out of this country.”
Senators left town for the week on Thursday and will return to Washington Monday, leaving the shutdown to stretch at least 17 days.
This story has been updated with a comment from the White House.