DHS shutdown drags into week two as Iran threat, SOTU clash complicate Hill talks
A government shutdown, big or small, is usually a front-and-center issue for lawmakers — but the most recent partial closure could be put on the back burner as Congress returns...
By Fox News · Fox News
A government shutdown, big or small, is usually a front-and-center issue for lawmakers — but the most recent partial closure could be put on the back burner as Congress returns to several issues in Washington. Senate Democrats and the White House are still at odds over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as the shutdown dragged into its tenth day. Neither side is budging, with the most recent concrete action coming early last week. Trump, who proved pivotal in striking a funding truce with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., in January, was not directly involved in recent negotiations. ‘TARIFFS SUCK’: SOME REPUBLICANS PRIVATELY CELEBRATE AS SUPREME COURT BLOCKS TRUMP POLICY Trump has not had any "direct conversations or correspondence" with congressional Democrats recently, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, noting that the White House and its representatives have been handling the dialogue. "But, of course, Democrats are the reason that the Department of Homeland Security is currently shut down," she said. "They have chosen to act against the American people for political reasons." Senate Democrats offered a counter to the White House’s own counterproposal, which quickly was rejected as "unserious" by Leavitt. It’s a peculiar instance, given that this is the third shutdown during Trump’s second term, and neither side appears to be in a particular rush to end it. DEMOCRATS RISK FEMA DISASTER FUNDING COLLAPSE AS DHS SHUTDOWN HITS DAY 5 Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that there's "some room for give and take" in the negotiations, but remained firm in the GOP's positioning against requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from getting judicial warrants, unmasking or other reforms sought by Democrats that could increase risks for agents in the field. "I felt like, you know, the last offer the White House put out there was a really — it was a good faith one, and it was clear to…