Democrats plan DHS funding offer as Thune floats long-term punt

Democratic and Republican leaders showed no sign of narrowing their differences on Department of Homeland Security funding Wednesday as a Feb. 13 deadline draws nearer.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated demands for new restrictions on immigration enforcement agencies at a joint news conference. Flanked by other Democratic leaders, the leaders said they plan to submit draft legislation to Republicans by Thursday.

“We're going to have tough, strong legislation,” Schumer said. “We want our Republican colleagues to finally get serious about this, because this is turning America inside out.”

Earlier Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune not only warned that a deal would be next to impossible to consummate before next week’s deadline but threatened a possible long-term stopgap that would effectively exclude changes to immigration enforcement.

Without quick progress in the talks, he said, “it may be the best way to deal with this particular appropriations bill is, do a year-long CR if that's what it takes,” Thune said, referring to a continuing resolution that would continue existing DHS funding levels through Sept. 30.

While the two Democratic leaders reiterated in a news conference that they are “on the same page,” Jeffries and Schumer declined to draw the same red lines on a full-year DHS punt.

Jeffries said after the news conference he is “a hard no” on a full-year CR, while Schumer stopped short of a hard commitment.

“Republicans shouldn't expect our votes if they're not willing to enact strong, tough reform,” he said when asked if Senate Democrats would oppose another punt.

The list of demands Jeffries and Schumer laid out Wednesday largely tracks with an earlier list of DHS proposals Senate Democrats put forward after the Jan. 24 killing of a Minneapolis man by federal agents there. They include prohibiting masks for federal agents in most circumstances and requiring a judge to sign off on warrants for DHS immigration apprehensions — proposals that some top Republicans have already rejected.

In addition to the policy sparring Wednesday, there was some personal squabbling, too — including over who should be involved in notching any agreement.

Thune suggested any deal needed to be cut primarily between Democrats and the Trump administration. He also warned that he does not view Jeffries as a reliable negotiating partner.

“He's just not, and I think he and, for that matter, Leader Schumer are afraid of their shadows and they are getting a lot of blowback and pressure from their left,” he said. “I don't think he wants a deal at all. I think he wants the issue.”

Jeffries, in response to the comments, said it was Thune who is “afraid of his own shadow” in the form of President Donald Trump.

“We are negotiating in good faith because we want to try to achieve an outcome, but the changes that are enacted with respect to the way in which the Department of Homeland Security is conducting itself need to be bold, meaningful and transformative,” he told reporters.