Thune says Republicans sent Democrats “last and final” offer
“The Dems are now in possession of what I think is our last and final,” Thune said. “So let’s hope this gets it done.”
Senate moves up votes to 1 p.m.
House to vote for third time on DHS funding
The lower chamber has twice passed legislation to fund the entire department through September, but it’s been effectively dead on arrival in the Senate as it’s been unable to overcome the 60-vote threshold to advance.
A vote is also planned on a resolution “expressing the support of the House” for the department. The resolution would do little beyond offer gratitude for DHS employees.
Votes are expected to begin around 2 p.m.
House Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to force a vote on legislation to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP. But their discharge petition, introduced last week, is short of the 218 signatures needed to move forward. So far, 205 of 214 Democrats have backed it. It would also need the support of four Republicans.
GOP senator says talks to end impasse have increased
“We put options in front of the Democrats, and they just need to quit backing up on us and vote to get DHS funded and TSA agents paid,” Hoeven said.
He cited developments since the initial Democratic opposition to funding DHS, including the new leadership at the department and the deescalation in Minneapolis, along with some of the reforms within the initial DHS bill that remain on the table.
“I’m hoping that as we get to the end of this week — you know how it works around here with deadlines — that that’s going to get us to a point where we get it done,” he said. “But we’re still working.”
Hoeven said it’s a good thing that the Senate has begun voting, with a failed vote Wednesday on advancing the DHS bill and another vote set for later this afternoon. He said “I think that helps get some movement.”
“We’re just trying to find what it’s going to take to bring folks together and get it done,” Hoeven said.
Thune: “We’re trying to narrow it in and home in on a deal”
“Every single day they move the goalpost,” Thune said. “They said we don’t want to fund ICE. And now they’re saying we don’t want to fund ICE and we want reforms.”
The majority leader said “we’re trying to narrow it in and home in on a deal” that can be struck in the “very near future.” But he argued that for Democrats, it’s “all about politics.”
“I think they’re just playing politics with this, have been from the beginning,” Thune said. “They think it’s really good with their base.”
Thune said “this has got to stop,” adding that “I think they’re going to come to their senses — I hope they do.”
Asked whether the Senate will go on its scheduled recess, Thune reiterated that “it’s very hard to take off if we don’t have DHS funded.”
“Obviously we’re looking at optionality in terms of what it would take if we have to be here,” Thune said. “But one way or the other, we have to get this done.”
Trump warns of “very drastic measures” without end to shutdown
“They need to end the shutdown immediately, or we’ll have to take some very drastic measures,” the president said, without elaborating.
Senate to take up voter ID amendment, DHS funding beginning at 1:30 p.m.
The first vote will be on advancing an amendment to the SAVE America Act, which would require photo ID to cast a vote. The second vote will be on advancing the DHS funding measure. Additional votes are possible later in the day.
Sen. Ron Johnson renews call to end the filibuster
“I’m not sure how things could get much worse by ending the filibuster,” Johnson wrote in the Daily Wire. “The status quo certainly isn’t working. I think it’s obvious things must change — we need a paradigm shift.”
Johnson described dysfunction in the Senate, pointing particularly to the funding process and the five shutdowns that have occurred since he came to Congress in 2011. He compared the Senate to “plaque clogging an artery leading to a heart attack.”
He acknowledged those in his party who wish to preserve the filibuster and argue that it fosters bipartisanship. But the Wisconsin Republican said that, if the filibuster ends, “we all might be surprised to find senators attempting to find common ground on more issues to help ensure bills pass with bipartisan support.”
Johnson opposed ending the filibuster until last fall’s 43-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. In 2022, Johnson said Democrats who wanted to abolish the practice were attempting a “naked power grab.”
Trump floats ending the filibuster to open DHS
“There comes a time when you must do what should have been done a long time ago, and something which the Lunatic Democrats will do on day one, if they ever get the chance,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, and get our airports, and everything else, moving again.”
The president urged the Senate to also add the SAVE America Act, an election bill he has repeatedly pushed Congress to pass. Earlier this week, he threw a wrench into DHS talks when he told Republicans not to make a deal with Democrats and to instead link the elections bill to DHS funding.
Thune has repeatedly said there isn’t support for ending the filibuster within the GOP conference.
The president claimed in another post that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “will make a deal now because he thinks that if he doesn’t, Republicans will TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, something which they should do whether he makes a deal or not!!!”
Senate schedule up in the air as recess looms
The majority leader told reporters as the Senate convened Wednesday that no decisions had been made yet on whether senators would stay in town if they’re unable to reach a deal.
“I think it’s awfully hard not to have the government funded if we’re not here,” Thune said.
Later Wednesday, Thune suggested that the deadline could put pressure on senators, who often leave town on Thursday nights, to reach a deal.
“You know how it is around here. It’s not Thursday yet,” Thune said. “And sometimes you’ve got to let things run. We’ll see where the deal might land.”
Senate to vote again on advancing DHS funding
It was the first time the chamber took the vote with the promise of the GOP offer, which would amend the measure funding all of DHS by stripping out the funds for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division. Just one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted in favor of moving forward. But Republicans are hoping to peel off more support on Thursday.
Democrats pushing for reforms after GOP offers to forgo ICE deportation funding
Democrats see things differently.
Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who struck a deal with Republicans to end the last shutdown, outlined that ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations division and Customs and Border Protection would be funded under the GOP offer. He claimed that “right now, most of HSI is in ICE doing ERO work.”
“It’s an illusory solution, if they can man ICE with people from … CBP and HSI,” King said. “I don’t have any problem with HSI and CBP doing their jobs. But not if they’re doing ICE’s job.”
Despite the GOP pushback on Democrats’ effort to secure reforms, Thune suggested later in the day that there is some room for negotiation, saying if Democrats “get a more realistic set of proposals, or a more realistic offer on the table, then we’ll be back in business.”
The majority leader also didn’t rule out the possibility of a short-term measure to fund the government while conversations continue on a long-term solution.
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