‘Extension’: Deal on DHS funding postpones Dem-sought government shutdown for 2 weeks
Back in the fall, Democrats demanded Congress raid American’s paychecks to collect a trillion dollars for their pet projects. The campaign failed, even though they forced the federal government into a six-week shutdown that left many programs and people hurt.
Now they have agreed to delay their latest push for another shutdown, by moving back their newest demands that would blunt Trump administration efforts to enforce the nation’s border and immigration laws – by two weeks.
The deadline for funding the Department of Homeland Security was looming this weekend, but a continuing resolution apparently has been reached that will delay that deadline for two weeks.
Five other appropriations bills required this weekend apparently are not in dispute and likely will be adopted.
The New York Post said President Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer, the Democrats’ leader in the Senate, have reached an agreement to take DHS funding from a six-bill package that already has cleared the House.
“A two-week extension for DHS, which oversees the federal law enforcement agencies handling the administration’s controversial immigration crackdown, will be provided under the terms of the deal,” the report said.
“The separation of the five bipartisan bills the Democrats asked for, plus the two-week DHS [continuing resolution] has been agreed to,” Schumer said in a prepared statement.
Republican have rejected Schumer’s demands for moves that would handicap federal law enforcement activities.
He has demanded huge restrictions on federal border and immigration enforcement agents, including “tighter warrant requirements and collaboration with state and local law enforcement.”
He also has demanded, “accountability through a uniform code of conduct and review including independent investigations,” as well as, “a ban on masked agents that also requires officers to carry identification and wear body cameras.”
Trump has promised on social media he is “working hard with Congress to ensure that we are able to fully fund the Government, without delay.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said a final agreement remains to be reached.
The report said, “The two-week extension for DHS funding is expected to give lawmakers time to negotiate restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) practices – which some congressional lawmakers have demanded in the wake of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, 37, by Border Patrol agents — the second anti-ICE agitator killed by a federal officer in Minneapolis since the start of Trump’s ‘Operation Metro Surge.'”
Fox News reported lawmakers aren’t’ “out of the woods yet” with the threat of a shutdown.
Even the GOP is not unanimous on the bill yet. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wants to strip the bill of millions of dollars in “refugee welfare money” and several others have expressed concerns about other earmarks in the plan.
A preliminary Senate vote on moving all the bills forward as they are written failed.