Inside Dems' 11th-hour push to force changes to ICE
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer exits a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Most Senate Democrats seem prepared to shut down the federal government over funding for DHS. But internally, they're facing a debate over how hard a line to draw in negotiations with the White House.
Why it matters: When Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) returns to Washington this week, he will have a growing bloc of Democrats demanding significant concessions from President Trump.
- A group of around 10 Senate Democrats is coalescing around a list of demands for changes at DHS, including requiring warrants for arrests and mandating that federal agents identify themselves, multiple sources said.
- The group also wants to demand that DHS cooperate with state and local investigations into incidents like the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota.
- But some moderate Democrats might not be willing to go that far, a repeat of the dynamic that fractured Democrats in last year's government shutdown battle.
And the clock is ticking, with government funding set to partially lapse at the end of the day Friday.
The big picture: Senate Democrats left a nearly hour-and-a-half virtual meeting on Sunday evening mostly unified around the idea of rejecting government funding if it meant that funding for DHS was included, sources said.
- On that call, Schumer said that Democrats would be able to pass all other remaining government funding bills, just not the current DHS package, the sources said.
- Schumer said publicly Sunday that Democrats would not vote to advance a broader government funding package if the current bill funding DHS was included.
Zoom in: It's been a quick pivot. Before the shooting in Minnesota this weekend, there was expected to be enough Democratic support in the Senate to avoid a government shutdown.
- Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, criticized the idea of voting against the government funding package just last week.
- But Sunday, Murray said on X that she would not support the DHS funding bill she helped negotiate.
- Still, Murray noted: "Americans must be eyes wide open that blocking the DHS funding bill will not shut down ICE. ICE is now sitting on a massive slush fund it can tap, whether or not we pass a funding bill."
What we're watching: Whether moderates like Murray support a push to ask the White House for broad changes to DHS will be a key dynamic to keep an eye on.
Between the lines: The group of 10-or-so's demands are consistent with ideas that Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Alex Padilla (D-Cal.) and others have floated publicly in recent weeks.
- Some of these demands are part of a broader DHS reforms package that Murphy started crafting earlier this year, as we first reported.
- Murphy and Padilla were part of a small group of senators who made calls to fellow Democrats over the weekend whipping against the DHS funding bill.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
