Thune, GOP blast Dems in DHS standoff as Lankford says they fear ICE over Iran

By Fox News · Fox News

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., accused Senate Democrats of not having "any excuses" to continue blocking Homeland Security funding as Republicans and the White House continue to make repeated offers to reopen the government. "The opportunity to actually drive this to a conclusion is there," Thune said at a press conference on Saturday in response to Fox News Digital. "You have to have, obviously, to negotiate a deal, you got to have two sides at the table. The White House is there, Senate Republicans are there. The question is, are Senate Democrats going to take yes for an answer?" The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered its 36th day of shutdown as Senate Democrats continue to block funding for the agency in their pursuit of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DHS SHUTDOWN TIED FOR SECOND-LONGEST EVER AS DEMS AGAIN BLOCK FUNDING AMID AIRPORT CHAOS, TERRORISM CONCERNS After more than two weeks of negotiations appearing to have stalled, Democrats responded to the White House’s latest offer. That spurred two face-to-face meetings with Senate Republicans and Trump administration officials, including border czar Tom Homan, on Capitol Hill. The latest meeting, which wrapped on Friday, saw Republicans offer Senate Democrats a compromise DHS funding bill. Thune said the meeting went well and hoped the parties will meet again over the weekend. He characterized the GOP’s offer as filled "with a lot of reforms that have been requested and asked for by Democrats." DEM SENATORS CALL TO FUND DHS AFTER VOTING TO BLOCK IT 4 TIMES AMID SHUTDOWN FIGHT It comes as lines at airports snake for blocks, tens of thousands of federal workers go without pay, and concerns about increased threats in the U.S. as the Pentagon continues Operation Epic Fury against the Iranian regime. Still, Thune and the GOP have grown increasingly frustrated with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats’ unwillingness to engage in negotiations over the…