Battle in Washington: Mike Johnson pressures Chuck Schumer over DHS stalemate

House Speaker, Mike Johnson on Monday stepped up his pressure on Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) drags into its sixth week with no solution in sight. As reported by Fox News, Johnson is preparing lower chamber Republican leaders to bring two measures designed to highlight the Democrats' responsibility for the funding stalemate to a vote this Thursday. One would re-fund DHS through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, marking the third time the House has taken up similar legislation. The proposal builds on a previous bipartisan deal that Democrats subsequently abandoned in opposition to the president's Donald Trump approach to illegal immigration.

The outlet noted that a second vote will focus on a non-binding resolution introduced by Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie expressing support for agencies operating under DHS. "Anyone waiting for hours just to miss their flights will not soon forget, and Republicans are going to continue reminding Americans that it’s the Democrats putting their safety at risk just to protect criminal illegal aliens. The problem for Democrats in their latest shutdown is they are hurting American citizens in an effort to protect criminal illegals and reopen our border, as evidenced by their own words and bills they are pushing to defund Customs and Border Patrol," an aide to House Republican leadership told the conservative network on condition of anonymity.

Strong criticism of Democrats

The most recent version of the funding measure is being led by Juan Ciscomani, who criticized the prolonged stalemate. "This standoff is enough. The men and women who keep our country safe here at home are a critical part of our national security, they need to get paid, now. These professionals should never be caught in the middle of political games, yet that’s exactly what has happened. It’s shameful," he said Monday.

Mackenzie also criticized the Democratic leadership, stating, "Instead of joining the bipartisan majority in supporting full funding for DHS, including commonsense reforms like body cameras and de-escalation training, Democratic leadership is afraid of the radical ‘Defund ICE’ movement and unwilling to compromise in order to protect the American people. This situation is unacceptable, and it must end immediately."

DHS oversees several key agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Negotiations to restore DHS funding have stalled, with Republicans rejecting key Democratic demands related to immigration enforcement. These include requiring warrants for operations conducted by ICE and CBP, as well as prohibiting agents from wearing masks.