DHS funding stalemate thaws as White House sends Democrats 'serious' counteroffer

Frigid negotiations between the White House and Senate Democrats appear to be thawing, with the Trump administration submitting what it calls a "serious" offer to reopen the government.

"Yesterday, the White House made another serious counteroffer," a White House official told Fox News Digital. "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."

It’s the second offer from the White House in an ongoing back-and-forth that has left the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without funding for two weeks. 

With lawmakers away from Washington, D.C., for the weekend, the shutdown will stretch into a third week.

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The latest development comes after a week of stalled negotiations between Senate Democrats and the administration, along with concerns that an off-ramp from the shutdown remained out of reach.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., both acknowledged receiving the offer in a joint statement Friday.

"We have received the White House’s counteroffer and are reviewing it closely. Democrats remain committed to keep fighting for real reforms to rein in ICE and stop the violence," they said. 

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Congressional Democrats have spent much of the week accusing the White House of not taking the negotiations seriously, while Republicans contend their counterparts are asking for too much.

Schumer and Senate Democrats earlier this week blocked another attempt by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Republicans to fund DHS using the original compromise funding bill.

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"It seems like the Democrats concluded this is maybe good politics for them. It’s not for the people whose lives are affected on a daily basis," Thune said earlier this week. "So, we’ll keep pressing to try and get folks to the table. But I think the White House — you know — they continue to exchange paper and trade paper and all that, and hopefully they’ll find a sweet spot."

Democrats want stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including requiring agents to obtain judicial warrants and identify themselves during enforcement actions, changes Republicans and the administration say are red lines.

Democrats argue the White House has not shown the urgency they would have expected, given that an agency central to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda has been shuttered for nearly three weeks.

"They haven’t indicated that they’re concerned about the closure of DHS," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told Fox News Digital. "They’ve been slow to come back on the proposals that the Democrats have made.

"And no one has ever explained why there should be only one police force in the entire country that should not have to follow the same kind of rules as everyone else."