Trump backed DHS funding proposal faces resistance from Democrats and GOP conservatives

A proposal endorsed Monday by President Donald Trump to end the 40-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is encountering stiff resistance from both Democrats and conservative Senate Republicans, leaving a potential vote to reopen the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other essential agencies in limbo.

The plan, which would fund most of DHS while postponing funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), initially appeared to have momentum after being presented to Trump on Monday. But on Tuesday, critics in both parties voiced opposition, casting doubt on whether the shutdown could end soon.

Sen. Josh Hawley, a rising conservative voice, openly criticized the proposal during the Senate Republican lunch, saying he would not support it because it effectively cuts ICE’s budget.

“I’m skeptical about voting to defund or to cut ICE funding,” Hawley said after the meeting. “I do not want to vote to defund ICE. I don’t want to vote to cut ICE funding. I want ICE to be fully funded.”

Republicans who presented the proposal to Trump argued that ICE’s deportation programs could receive additional funding through a budget reconciliation package later in the year. However, some conservatives remain doubtful that such a package could pass, given the difficulty of advancing legislation with only GOP votes.

“I’m not going to vote to cut ICE funding, period,” Hawley added.

Funding for ICE’s ERO accounts totals $5.4 billion of the agency’s $10 billion annual budget, according to a person familiar with the proposal, highlighting the scale of the potential cuts.

Democrats also rejected the offer. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the Republican proposal failed to include the reforms his party demands for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Key reforms sought by Democrats include requiring judicial warrants for federal immigration officers and prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks during operations.

“We have to rein in ICE and stop the violence. We need reform,” Schumer said at a press conference after meeting with Democratic colleagues. “Every one of my colleagues, every one, A, believes we should be unified, and, B, we need reforms of ICE — every single one.”

Schumer promised that Democrats would respond with a counteroffer, stating, “They sent us an offer, and we’ll be sending them an offer back, and I can assure you it will contain significant reform in it.”

Centrist Democrats, including Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Maggie Hassan, are watching to see whether Republicans will make additional concessions.

“We’re still going to negotiate it. It’s not quite where we want it,” said Sen. Gary Peters, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Sen. Patty Murray, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a lead Democratic negotiator, described discussions with White House officials as “productive” but stressed that any ICE funding must include reforms.

“We’ve been very clear that if we’re talking about funding any part of ICE and CBP, we absolutely must take some key steps to rein them in. The current Republican offer in front of us does not do that,” Murray said. “Reforms must make it into law.”

Republicans counter that they will not agree to new immigration enforcement reforms unless Democrats commit to fully funding ICE in the long-delayed Homeland Security appropriations bill.

“A lot of the reforms were contingent on funding for ICE,” said Sen. John Thune. “Since the ERO office is not going to be funded through ICE, the Democrats have basically [given] up on the reforms.”

Sen. Thom Tillis acknowledged that strong bipartisan pushback has sapped the proposal’s early momentum, even after Sen. Katie Britt and other Republicans briefed Trump on Monday.

“If you asked me last night, I thought we were pretty close. That’s one of the dangers here, you never let people sleep on stuff,” Tillis said.

Tillis noted that a handful of centrist Democrats might break ranks with Schumer, but not enough to overcome the Democratic leader’s opposition.

Meanwhile, Republican Senators Eric Schmitt and Rick Scott voiced additional concerns about splitting ICE’s ERO funding from the rest of the DHS budget. Scott criticized the plan as unrealistic and warned against relying on a reconciliation package to restore funding.

“This idea that they’ll get funded through a reconciliation package is a pipe dream. We’re not going to get a reconciliation package done,” Scott said.

Although Senate Republican leaders indicated to colleagues that Trump supports the proposed deal, the former president has not publicly endorsed it. When asked about the negotiations at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said he is “pretty much not happy” with any deal reached with Democrats and pledged to take a “hard look” at whatever negotiators finally hammer out.

The comments overshadowed an earlier White House statement suggesting the proposal “seems to be an acceptable solution,” leaving the fate of DHS funding and the shutdown of TSA and other agencies unresolved.

As both parties dig in, the path to ending the DHS shutdown appears increasingly uncertain, with strong ideological divides over ICE funding and immigration enforcement reforms showing little sign of narrowing.