WASHINGTON — Top Republicans and Democrats trying to end the monthlong Department of Homeland Security shutdown huddled with White House border czar Tom Homan in the Capitol on Thursday.
The in-person talks come as Senate Majority Leader John Thune threatened to nix the upcoming two-week Easter recess unless negotiators can strike a deal.
Since DHS funding lapsed on Feb. 14, lawmakers have shown little interest in ending the partisan standoff. But with recent suspected terrorist attacks across the country, thousands of federal employees working without pay and major disruptions at some airports as Transportation Security Administration agents miss paychecks, urgency now appears to be growing on Capitol Hill.
“We’ve been encouraging this for a while, and glad to see both sides sitting down and having Homan up here,” Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Thursday.
“Being a part of that is, I think, a pretty big deal, and a recognition that we need to get this resolved,” the leader continued. “And it needs to get resolved by the end of next week. I can’t see us taking a break if the government is still shut down.”
Threatening to cancel lawmakers’ cherished recesses — during which time they often plan family vacations, campaigning in primaries for this year’s midterm elections or official trips abroad — is a favorite move of congressional leaders frustrated by legislative gridlock.
Lawmakers in both the House and Senate are slated to depart for a two-week recess for the Easter holiday and spring break beginning on March 27.
Thursday’s gathering marked a rare formal sit-down meeting between Republicans and Democrats since the shutdown began 33 days ago. Homan’s presence in the Capitol is a sign that bipartisan talks are getting more serious.
After DHS officers shot and killed two American citizens this year, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, President Donald Trump dispatched Homan to replace Greg Bovino and take charge of the administration’s immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota.
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As he left the meeting, Homan was asked if the two sides had reached a deal to reopen DHS. He shook his head no.
“I’m glad that the White House was here, but we are a long ways apart,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
Murray is a key negotiator as the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, which writes government funding bills, like the one for DHS. The other Democrats in the room were Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Angus King, I-Maine, all former governors, as well as Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.
Still, other lawmakers who had participated in the talks characterized the gathering as productive. And they said both senators and the White House had asked Homan to attend.
“We’re just working, trying to figure out how to get DHS funded. We got TSA agents out there that aren’t getting paid, and we need to come up with a solution,” said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who serves on the Appropriations Committee. “I think we made some progress. [Homan’s] gonna stay engaged. His expertise is very helpful.”
DHS shut down just over a month ago after the department’s agents killed Good and Pretti in Minneapolis. Democrats allowed other parts of the government to be funded, but they vowed to block funding for DHS until Republicans agreed to make significant reforms to how the administration carries out immigration enforcement.
While many DHS functions continue, including immigration enforcement, TSA security at airports, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and more, some DHS employees are not being paid for their work during the shutdown. One key exception is ICE, whose agents are getting paid thanks to funding from Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” from last year.
The two parties have been swapping proposals for weeks, with little progress. This week, Homan and James Braid, the White House’s head of legislative affairs, sent a letter to top GOP negotiators — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Katie Britt of Alabama — outlining five areas where the administration is willing to negotiate with Democrats.
Among those areas: expanding use of body-worn cameras and requiring retention of that body camera footage for congressional oversight; limiting civil immigration enforcement activities “at certain sensitive locations” including hospitals and schools; and requiring all DHS law enforcement carrying out enforcement activities to display proper identification.
“I believe we had good-faith conversations,” Britt said as she left the meeting. “And that’s what we need to do for the American people, for the safety and security of Americans, and also for every man and woman who raised their hand to protect their homeland.”
“They deserve a paycheck,” she said, “and we’re working on finding a pathway toward that.”
This week, more than 60,000 TSA officers and other personnel did not receive their first full paycheck due to the shutdown, leading to undue financial and emotional stress on these critical employees.
These shutdowns can significantly lower morale among TSA employees, increasing attrition rates and callouts, which in turn result in longer wait times at airports for passengers.
At Philadelphia International Airport, for example, TSA said it was closing two more checkpoints on Wednesday, in addition to one already closed, due to ongoing TSA staffing shortages.
Democrats have said any airport issues would quickly get resolved — if Republicans take up their bill to pay TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard and employees other than those who work for ICE. Republicans say they want to fund all of DHS together, not piece by piece.
“We should be able to get this done today,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said. “All Speaker Johnson needs to do is bring the legislation to the floor that will pay TSA agents and reopen the parts of the Department of Homeland Security that have nothing to do with ICE.”
Earlier Thursday, the Senate Homeland Security Committee advanced the nomination of Trump’s next pick to lead DHS: Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. He could be confirmed by the full Senate as soon as next week.
