WASHINGTON — Republicans invoked the war in Iran and the prospect of retaliatory terrorist attacks as they made another unsuccessful effort Thursday to pass a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security.
Democrats are insisting on changes to immigration enforcement operations as part of the measure and blocked it from advancing. The procedural vote was 51-45, falling well short of the 60 that Republicans needed to proceed with the measure. While the House will also take up the bill Thursday, that outcome will be more about putting lawmakers on the record about where they stand.
In the end, a bipartisan compromise will have to be reached to end a DHS shutdown that began Feb. 14.
The funding bill first passed the House back in January, but it has gone nowhere in the Senate as Democrats seek new restraints on immigration enforcement tactics following the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis.
Republicans have called on Democrats to reconsider their vote in the wake of the conflict in Iran.
Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said Democrats would bear responsibility for the next cyberattack that is missed or the next “lone wolf terrorist” who attacks in the U.S.
“Blood will be on their hands,” Barrasso said on the Senate floor. “Because we don't have a functioning Department of Homeland Security that is funded with people on the ground in every position receiving their paychecks.”
It did not appear the GOP's strategy had changed the position of Democratic lawmakers, though. They said they are prepared to fund most of the agencies at the department, just not Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection.
“It's the same lousy, rotten bill that does not put any guardrails or constraints on ICE or CBP after federal agents shot American citizens in the street,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
Moments before the vote, senators were getting word that President Donald Trump had just fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The news did not change Democrats' resolve to force operational changes within the department through the spending bill.
“Good riddance," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. “But the problems at ICE transcend any one individual.”
Workers are beginning to miss part of their paychecks
Following the longest federal shutdown in the country's history last year, Congress has completed work on 11 of this year's 12 appropriations bills. Only the bill for Homeland Security remains outstanding.
Republicans said the timing couldn't be worse for a Homeland Security shutdown. While a large majority of the department's employees are considered essential and continue to work, many will not receive a full paycheck this week.
“Like Democrats’ first shutdown a few months ago, this shutdown is causing a lot of financial stress, uncertainty, and pain for hardworking Americans,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said. “It’s also making it harder for those working to keep America safe.”
Republicans said the prospect of an increase in unscheduled absences by the Transportation Security Administration's agents could lead to longer wait times at the nation's airports. Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has canceled various assessments to determine vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure. And training for first responders conducted through the Federal Emergency Management Agency was canceled.
Democrats are seeking several changes at the department that include prohibiting ICE enforcement operations at sensitive locations like schools and churches, allowing independent investigations into alleged wrongdoing, requiring warrants to be signed by judges before federal agents can forcibly enter private homes or other nonpublic spaces without consent, and requiring agents to wear identification and remove their masks.
Republicans note that the bill does include a bipartisan provision directing more resources for de-escalation training and $20 million to outfit immigration enforcement agents with body-worn cameras.
Little to show from negotiations
The White House and congressional Democrats don't appear to have made significant progress in recent weeks in resolving their differences after trading several offers.
“Look, we're still far apart, but we're negotiating and exchanging paper back and forth,” Schumer said.
The size of the divide appeared significant during Thursday's debate on the Senate floor.
Alabama Sen. Katie Britt said that through their actions, Democrats were “still the party of open borders, they are still the party of defund the police, now actually more than ever.”
She and other Republicans also cited last weekend's mass shooting in Austin, Texas, as an example of the dangerous threat environment that's facing Americans following the attack on Iran.
“We know this couldn't come at a more dangerous time.," Britt said.
Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that Democrats were simply working to make sure federal immigration officials follow the same standards as other law enforcement officers.
“We are not asking for the moon. We are asking for basic steps to protect Americans' constitutional rights and their safety,” Murray said.
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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
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