Democrats again block funding for DHS in Senate amid partial shutdown

Senate Democrats on Tuesday again stalled a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) amid a partial federal government shutdown now in its second week.

The vote, 50-45, was again sharply partisan andfell short of the 60 support needed to move forward with the initiative previously approved by the House of Representatives. It was the first formal action by the Senate on DHS funding since the partial shutdown began on February 14.

The lack of a funding deal is keeping parts of the department paralyzed and especially affecting agencies not directly tied to immigration, such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard.

From the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated that President Donald Trump would address the issue during his State of the Union address, with a call for Democrats to allow the department to reopen. However, talks between the two sides appear stalled after lawmakers returned to Washington after a weeklong recess.

Senate Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that no substantive negotiations are underway at the moment. According to him, the exchanges between the two parties have not produced concrete changes in the legislative proposal.

Likewise, there are no meetings scheduled between congressional leaders and the president to unlock the budget dispute. According to people privy to the private talks, a deal is not expected to be reached this week, according to Politico.

Democrats have conditioned their support for DHS funding on the inclusion of modifications to immigration enforcement policies pushed by the Trump administration. The call intensified following the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during federal ICE operations that raised national uproar.

Among the proposals put forward by the Democratic bloc are a ban on the use of masks by ICE agents, the requirement of warrants to search private property and the creation of independent mechanisms to investigate possible irregularities in the agents' actions.

Although the partial shutdown impacts DHS, the agencies charged with immigration enforcement have resources allocated through a broad legislative package passed by Republicans last year without Democratic backing.

The latest Democratic counteroffer was sent to the White House last week. Senate Republican majority leader John Thune noted that talks continue informally, with exchanges between the parties seeking a point of agreement.