Bipartisan talks to end Homeland Security standoff worsen as shutdown drags on

WASHINGTON – Top Republicans and Democrats trying to end a month-long shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security met with White House chief Tom Homan at the Capitol on Thursday.

The in-person talks come as Senate Majority Leader John Thune has threatened to end the upcoming two-week Easter recess unless negotiators can reach an agreement.

Since DHS funding ended on February 14, lawmakers have shown little interest in ending the impasse. But with recent terrorist attacks across the country, thousands of federal workers working without pay and major disruptions at some airports as TSAs miss out on paychecks, the urgency now seems to be growing on Capitol Hill.

“We’ve been advocating for this for a long time, and we’re glad to see both sides sit down and have Homan up here,” Thune, RS.D., told reporters Thursday.

“Being a part of that, I think, is a very big thing, and the recognition that we need to solve this,” the leader continued. “And it must be resolved by the end of next week. I don’t see us taking a break if the government is still closed.”

Threatening to cancel valuable vacations for lawmakers — at a time when they are often planning family vacations, campaigning for midterm elections or official international travel — is a favorite move of congressional leaders frustrated by legislative gridlock.

Lawmakers in both the House and Senate are expected to go on a two-week recess for the Easter holiday and spring break, which starts on March 27.

Thursday’s rally marked the rare sit-down meeting between Republicans and Democrats since the 33-day shutdown began. And Homan’s presence in the Capitol is a sign that collective bargaining is becoming more serious.

After DHS officials shot and killed two U.S. citizens this year, Rene Good and Alex Pretti, President Donald Trump sent Homan to replace Greg Bovino and take over immigration enforcement in Minnesota.

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As he was leaving the meeting, Homan was asked if the two sides had reached an agreement to reopen DHS. He shook his head no.

“I’m glad the White House was there, but we’re too far apart,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. “That’s all I have to say.”

Murray is a key negotiator as the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, which writes federal funding bills, such as that for DHS. The other Democrats in the room were Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, DN.H., Maggie Hassan, DN.H., and Angus King, Maine, all former governors, and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.

However, some lawmakers who participated in the discussions described the meeting as successful. And they said both attorneys general and the White House asked Homan to attend Thursday’s meeting.

“We’re just working, trying to figure out how to get DHS money. We’ve got TSA agents out there who aren’t getting paid, and we need to come up with a solution,” said Sen. John Hoeven, RN.D., who serves on the Appropriations Committee. “I think we have made progress. [Homan’s] I will stay engaged. His expertise is very useful.”

DHS was shut down about a month ago after agents of the department killed Good and Pretti in Minneapolis. Democrats have allowed other parts of the government to be funded, but vowed to block funding for DHS until Republicans agree to make significant changes to how the administration handles immigration enforcement.

While many DHS operations continue, including immigration enforcement, TSA airport security, FEMA and more, some DHS employees are not being paid for their work during the shutdown. A notable exception is ICE, whose agents are being paid thanks to the funding of Trump’s big, good bill from last year.

The two parties have been exchanging proposals for weeks, with little progress. This week, Homan and James Braid, head of legal affairs at the White House, sent a letter to top GOP negotiators – Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Katie Britt, R-Ala. – outlining five areas where the administration is willing to negotiate with Democrats.

Among those areas: expanding the use of body-worn cameras and requiring the preservation of that body camera video for oversight by Congress; restricting enforcement activities to “certain sensitive areas” including hospitals and schools; and requires all DHS law enforcement officers to show proper identification.

“I believe we had faith conversations,” Britt said as he left the meeting. “And that’s what we need to do for the American people, for the safety and security of the American people, and for all the men and women who have raised their hands to defend their country.”

“They deserve to be paid,” he said, “and we’re working to find a way toward that.”

This week, more than 60,000 TSA officers and other employees did not receive their first full paycheck due to the shutdown, resulting in unnecessary financial and emotional stress for these critical workers.

These closures can significantly reduce morale among TSA employees, increase attrition rates and callouts, resulting in longer wait times at airports for passengers.

At Philadelphia International Airport, for example, the TSA said it was closing two more checkpoints on Wednesday, in addition to the one already closed, because of ongoing TSA staffing shortages.

Democrats said any airport problems would be solved quickly — if Republicans picked up their debt to pay TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard and non-ICE workers. Republicans say they want to fund all of DHS together, ​​​​​​​​​not piece by piece.

“We should be able to do this today,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “What Speaker Johnson needs to do is bring legislation to the floor that will pay for TSA agents and reopen the parts of the Department of Homeland Security that are not related to ICE.”

Earlier Thursday, the Senate Homeland Security Committee advanced the nomination of Trump’s next pick to lead DHS: Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. He could be fully confirmed by the Senate as soon as next week.