Democrats propose counteroffer amid DHS shutdown

Democrats have submitted a budget counteroffer to the White House and Republicans, as the Department of Homeland Security faced its fourth day of shutdown on Tuesday.

Stopgap funding for the agency ran out early Saturday morning. Lawmakers remain locked in partisan disagreement over the conduct of federal immigration agents, with Democrats demanding stronger oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and DHS. Democrats have stayed silent on the contents of the new counteroffer.

Many DHS agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service have already been affected by the shutdown. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection will continue operations mostly as usual with funding from last year.

What happens if funding reserves run out? If no agreement is reached, the first missed pay period for DHS employees will be March 3, according to a report by The Washington Post. USAA, which offers banking services to federal employees, is standing by to provide interest-free loans to DHS workers should they face pay disruptions.

What’s behind the DHS controversy? The conduct of ICE agents and other federal officials in Minneapolis has come under intense scrutiny after the deaths of two protesters demonstrating against immigration enforcement actions last month. Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot by immigration officers just weeks apart. Both shootings are still under investigation.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has since said that she planned to immediately issue bodycams to all federal agents in Minneapolis, with additional plans to equip agents around the country once funding is available. Her statement indicated that the cameras were being distributed to provide greater transparency to the general public.

Dig deeper: Read this report from Josh Schumacher about an ICE memo that argues for home searches without a judicial warrant.