White House gives DHS funding offer as government shutdown continues
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) hold a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on January 8, 2026.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Congressional Democrats said Friday they have received a counteroffer from the White House to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
The department has been closed since February 14 after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on restrictions on immigration enforcement.
“We have received the White House counteroffer and are reviewing it closely. Democrats remain committed to fighting for real reforms to rein in ICE and stop the violence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. he said.
Negotiations over DHS funding intensified after federal immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens during a migrant surge in Minneapolis, but the Trump administration has since said it would end the operation.
Democrats are demanding changes to DHS’s immigration enforcement tactics. They want to ban federal immigration officers from wearing masks, require body cameras and require judicial warrants to search homes, among other proposed changes. The White House and Republicans withdrew the mask ban and judicial detention request.
Senate Democrats on Monday blocked the House-passing DHS funding bill for a second time as negotiations dragged on.
“Yesterday, the White House made another serious counteroffer. Democrats need to act to end the shutdown before more Americans are harmed by a lack of funding for critical services like disaster relief,” a White House official said Friday. he said.
Despite the closure, most DHS employees are deemed essential and continue to work. The agency is funded in part by last year’s expanded tax and spending bill.
However, some employees, including those at DHS subsidiaries such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, may be forced to work without pay if the shutdown continues.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
— CNBC’s Dan Manganese And Garrett Downs contributed to this report.
