Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., hold a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 8, 2026.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Congressional Democrats on Friday said they received a counteroffer from the White House to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
The department has been shut down since Feb.14 after lawmakers failed to strike a deal on immigration enforcement restrictions.
“We have received the White House’s counteroffer and are reviewing it closely. Democrats remain committed to keep fighting for real reforms to rein in ICE and stop the violence,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, said in a statement.
The negotiations over DHS funding are heightened after federal immigration agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens during an immigration surge in Minneapolis, though the Trump administration has since said it would wind down the operation.
Democrats are demanding changes to DHS’ immigration enforcement tactics. They want to bar federal immigration agents from wearing masks, mandate body cameras and require them to obtain judicial warrants to search homes, among other proposed changes. The White House and Republicans have pushed back on the mask ban and judicial warrant requirement.
Senate Democrats on Monday for the second time blocked a House-passed DHS funding bill, as negotiations dragged on.
“Yesterday, the White House made another serious counter offer. Democrats need to make a move 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 on Friday.
Despite the shutdown, most DHS employees are deemed essential and continue to work. Parts of the agency are funded through last year’s sprawling tax and spending bill.
But some employees, including those at DHS subagencies like the Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency, could be forced to work without pay if the shutdown continues.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is schedule to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
— CNBC’s Dan Mangan and Garrett Downs contributed to this report.
