Tipsheet

Is Yet Another Senate DHS Deal on the Rocks?

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  March 25, 2026 10:30 AM

We're now in the 40th day of the Democratic-induced government shutdown. This time, the Democrats are keeping TSA employees from getting paid, increasing wait times, and safety risks at airports, to protect illegal immigrants by abolishing ICE.

On March 20, the Senate Democrats once again rejected a deal, even after Republicans gave in to some of their more ridiculous demands, including limiting immigration enforcement at hospitals and schools. Democrats also are demanding judicial warrants and a prohibition on ICE agents wearing masks, issues on which the White House — so far — has refused to budge.

According to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, the Democrats — as of 9 am ET this morning — hadn't sent the GOP a counter proposal, putting the current DHS deal in jeopardy again.

Here's the entire post (emphasis added):

As of 9am ET, Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s office tells @FoxNews they’ve still received no counter proposal from Democrats after GOP offered to fund all of DHS except for ICE’s deportation wing (ERO), but the deal wouldn’t include the major ICE reforms Dems had been demanding (unmasking, judicial warrants).

Sen. Schumer said last night that the lack of reforms was unacceptable and that Democrats would be sending back a counter offer with demands for additional concessions.

Thune’s office says that counter offer hasn’t come yet.

Republicans say they’re not going to agree to dramatic reforms for an agency that’s being defunded & it makes no sense to do so. 

At 10am, the leadership of TSA, FEMA. Coast Guard, Secret Service & CISA will testify before Congress about the impacts this 5+ week shutdown has had on their respective workforces. 

I will be inside that hearing & will update.

So ICE is being defunded at some point? Is that what the Republicans are admitting?

ICE was fully funded through 2029 as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, so those impacts wouldn't necessarily be felt immediately. It's also possible to address ICE funding through stand-alone bills via reconciliation down the road.

Republicans cannot, and should not, cave to any more of the Democrats' demands on this.

Here's more from Sen. Thune's spokesman:

Here's the entire post:

This provides a clear path to end the Democrats’ shutdown, reopen DHS, make employees whole again, and continue to focus on the areas of disagreement, all of which Democrats say they want.

This is pretty simple. All they have to do is say yes.

On the unresolved ERO issue (again, the area of disagreement Dems say they want to continue discussing) those talks can proceed, even though Democrats have yet to get serious. Republicans predicted that Democrats would attempt to defund law enforcement, which is why they prefunded ICE in last year's Working Families Tax Cuts.

Caving on the ERO is a non-starter for many.

We'll see what happens.

Many pointed out this deal neuters deportation efforts.

It better not be.

The Democrats have already rejected a deal with far too many concessions. The GOP should not cave any further to their demands. Defunding and abolishing ICE is a de facto repeal of America's immigration laws; who will enforce those laws in the absence of ICE? Especially if ICE's deportation wing is defunded. That means deportations — the major issue on which President Trump was elected — essentially come to an end.