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Senate Democrats find themselves in a challenging position as they consider whether to support a temporary funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) beyond the looming Friday deadline, following their vote to conclude the recent government shutdown.
Despite ongoing negotiations, a long-term agreement on DHS funding remains elusive. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has hinted at moving forward with another continuing resolution (CR) to keep the department operational.
Currently, DHS stands as the sole department without full-year funding for fiscal year 2026. This situation arose after Democrats insisted on integrating changes to immigration enforcement during a contentious period marked by the enforcement crackdown in Minneapolis.
The question of whether Democrats will support a CR is pivotal. Many within the party assert that significant progress toward a comprehensive agreement is necessary before they can endorse another temporary solution.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) expressed strong reservations about a new funding extension, initially responding with, “My first reaction is not only ‘no,’ but ‘hell no.’” However, he remained open to the possibility of genuine negotiations, adding, “But I’m going to leave open the possibility that there’s some real, honest negotiations going to take place. We’ll see.”
Atop the list of senators Republican leaders are likely eyeing to potentially jump on board are the eight Senate Democrats — comprised largely of centrists, soon-to-be retirees and purple-state members — who broke with party leaders to strike a deal with Republican leaders and end the 43-day shutdown in November. Durbin is part of that group.
When a handful of those members were pressed by reporters about potentially supporting a CR later in the week, only one member — Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) — signaled they are not open to doing so.
They want to see how far negotiations get down the line this week, especially after the White House on Monday issued a counteroffer to the Democratic proposal. At present, they are keeping their powder dry.
“We have to look at the counter-proposal to see how serious it is,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said. “The more serious it is, the more we’ll want to work to see if we can land something.”
“If it’s serious and we can’t land something right away, then we ought to be open to talking more,” he said, adding that he expects more to be known after Democrats hold their weekly caucus meeting over lunch on Tuesday.
Reprising that coalition will be a tall task. Democratic members are showing little appetite for doing any favors for immigration officials amid loud calls from progressive groups for them to block future funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), another member of that group, called for “reasonable guardrails” on ICE that are already being followed by the FBI and state and local law enforcement, and for the ouster of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whom she has already called to be impeached.
“We’ll see what happens this week,” Rosen said, keeping the door open “until you see the text.”
“I have no desire to fund Kristi Noem and not put those guardrails that we should all want for people,” she added.
What also remains to be seen is whether Democratic leaders support a CR. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the chamber’s lead Democratic appropriator, are heading up negotiations on the funding bill for the minority party.
If they back a short-term funding item, it would also give some of that group a green light to do the same.
Sen. Katie Britt (Ala.), the top GOP member involved in talks, declined to delve into specifics, but she signaled that negotiations are on much firmer footing than they were at the end of last week, when both sides were largely airing their grievances in public.
“We’ve had productive conversations over the weekend,” Britt said. “There’s obviously still a lot to work through.”
“I was really frustrated about how much time it took to get to this point. I wish we could have started that soon,” she continued. “That being said, everyone is in communication, having productive dialogue and moving things back and forth. That’s the most we can ask.”
Democrats had pushed for tightened warrant requirements and for immigration agents in the field to be unmasked, two items that Republicans have indicated they have little room to negotiate on and have largely dismissed out of hand.
With a full-year deal unlikely to come together by Thursday, Thune told reporters that he plans to tee up a CR for later in the week. He was unsure how long it would last, but called negotiations “constructive.”
Schumer said on the Senate floor that the “clock is ticking” for a deal.
“We have sent you our proposals, and they are exceedingly reasonable,” Schumer said. “I hope our colleagues on the other side, many who at least here in the Senate recognize things need to change and show they’re ready to act in a meaningful way.”
Adding to the impetus for members to potentially back a short-term CR is the chamber’s timeline this week. More than a dozen senators are expected to travel to the Munich Security Conference on Thursday night, with members breaking simultaneously for a week-long recess over Presidents Day.
Top lawmakers believe that could be a key pressure point for negotiators, including to win support for a CR in the coming days.
“[Munich] must be beautiful this time of year,” Durbin quipped. “It certainly does [add pressure].”