The White House on Tuesday dismissed Democrats’ latest offer in negotiations to fund the Department of Homeland Security, saying that the “parties are still pretty far apart.”
“The administration remains interested in good faith conversations to end the Democrat shutdown before more Americans feel the impacts,” said a White House official granted anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations. “But the Administration also remains committed to carrying out the president’s promise to enforce federal immigration law.”
The official declined to say what points of contention remain, but with Congress in recess there’s little expectation of a quick resolution to the partial government shutdown.
The White House response comes after Democrats late Monday sent their counterproposal to the White House, the latest in a series of back and forths as the Trump administration and Senate Democrats attempt to agree to a slate for reforms to DHS.
But the two sides have so far failed to close in on a deal to rein in federal immigration enforcement practices at the behest of Democrats after two American citizens were killed by agents in Minneapolis last month.
Spokespeople for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that Democrats “have been clear for weeks about the reforms needed to rein in ICE and stop the violence.”
“We’ve continued working through language and additional issues to make progress, but Republicans have largely ignored the core guardrails Americans are demanding,” the statement said. “Dems are negotiating in good faith, it’s time for Republicans to do the same.”
POLITICO reported last week that a number of redlines had emerged, including Democrats’ requirement that federal law enforcement officials obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property. Other asks, including a prohibition on federal agents wearing masks and an expansive limit on places where agents can operate, would need major concessions from Democrats to gain the administration’s support.
A senior White House official told reporters last week that judicial warrants were a “particularly challenging aspect,” but declined to detail other policy discussions.
“That’s going to be very challenging. Ultimately, the red line here is, certainly happy to take feedback and work in a bipartisan way to ensure — as we’ve seen with [border czar] Tom Homan in Minneapolis — that we’re enforcing immigration law in the optimal way possible,” the official said. “But the administration is not going to accept concessions that meaningfully affect its ability to carry out its immigration enforcement agenda.”
Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
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