Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Republicans sent Senate Democrats “our last and final offer” for the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding negotiations.
“I think the Dems are now in possession of what I think is our last and final” offer, Thune told reporters on Thursday. “So let’s hope this gets it done.”
Republicans’ “final” proposal comes as lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been negotiating for weeks to end the DHS-specific government shutdown, which started on Feb. 14. Senate Democrats have been filibustering the DHS funding bill and demanding reforms and constraints be placed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
Thune refused to discuss the details of the new offer but indicated they were similar to the proposals being discussed at the start of the week.
The details of the negotiations have been largely kept under wraps over the past few weeks and until the beginning of this week the negotiations did not amount to much.
But over the past week, conversation between Senate Republicans and Democrats ticked up.
Earlier this week, after supposedly convincing President Donald Trump to jump onboard during a White House meeting, Senate Republicans said they were sending a proposal to Senate Democrats that would fund all parts of DHS — including, critically, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) — except ICE’s enforcement and removal operations.
Democrats on Tuesday were quick to point out that while the deal championed by Republicans would not fund ICE enforcement, it would fund Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol — two other entities involved in the abuses which Democrats have vowed to stand against.
They also said Republicans’ latest offer “does not have any reforms in ICE.”
In response, Democrats sent a counteroffer to Republicans on Wednesday, which Republicans refused to get behind.
The new Republican proposal reportedly includes much of the same, including funding for everything under the DHS umbrella except ICE’s enforcement and removal operations with additional language to try to address some of Democrats’ concerns.
“There is not yet agreement on sort of exactly how to fund DHS without Democrats funding ICE,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told reporters on Thursday in the Senate basement. “And we’re trying to get clarity on exactly what that looks like because the basic position I’ve been in, and Democrats have been in … was we’re either going to get significant reforms in statute that we can point to … or we’re not going to fund ICE operations.”
Coons added that new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin promised some changes within the DHS — including the use of judicial warrants, or official court orders, in immigration searches and seizures — that covers some of Democrats’ main demands during his confirmation hearing.
“We’re now in this back and forth about” those promises, Coons said, adding that Democrats want to see them in writing while Republicans seemingly claim they have already been promised verbally.
It remains to be seen whether the offer may be enough to peel off the handful of Democratic votes Republicans would need to get the deal over the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.
Preparing for the possibility that Democrats choose to stick together, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said he is working on “a bill right now to just open up TSA.”
“I’m not trying to pick favorites at DHS but while we’re pursuing reconciliation to open up the entire department without Democratic help … our approach to shut down, it’s not fair to the TSA folks. It’s not fair to the American people,” Kennedy said Thursday. “So I’m going to offer a bill that just opens up TSA. I think my Republican colleagues will support it.”
Later in the day, Kennedy said, he was “thinking about just going down to the floor and making a motion under unanimous consent. Just open, just pay TSA.”
It is unclear if Thune and the rest of the Senate GOP leadership would be onboard with this plan.
Democrats in both chambers, of course, have repeatedly tried to get Republicans on board with a bill that would fund all agencies under the DHS umbrella, except ICE and CBP — including TSA, the Secret Service, FEMA and the Coast Guard — since the shutdown started 40 days ago.
That was largely an effort to help ameliorate the long lines at airports and point to the fact that Democrats don’t have any issues with funding the non-ICE and CBP portions of DHS. Each time, the effort was blocked by Republicans.
“Our last an final offer?” That’s hilarious! I always thought John Thune was a cardboard cutout when standing behind Mitch McConnell, the then Senate Majority Leader. Now I know that that is/was true.
It’s always the peak of absurdity when the Republicans have to present “offers” that presume Trump is Michael Corleone (“You get nothing”), when of course, Trump can’t even measure up to Fredo. Trump insists the Dems have to cave, so Thune et al. obediently present mealy-mouthed “deals” that don’t address any of the Dems’ issues and expect the Dems to just roll over and agree.
Admittedly, the past year hasn’t had the best track record for Chuck Schumer to hold the line, but it does seem like he’s finally learned some lessons. Old dogs can learn new tricks, with enough prodding, it would appear.
Trump can be more accurately compared to Fredo Corleone, rather than Michael Corleone.
Will Chuck tell him where he can put his last and final offer… OR… will he cave?
Dear Senator Thune,
Please perform an anatomical impossibility upon yourself.
Because you are doing such a great job.
DJIA 45,960.
You did that.