House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday a GOP counterproposal on Department of Homeland Security funding is “woefully inadequate” and shows the White House “is clearly not open to” several key Democratic demands.
Speaking four days ahead of a DHS shutdown deadline, Jeffries said the Republican offer did not satisfactorily address a need for judicial warrants, detention center standards, independent investigations and excessive-force standards. Asked about whether the Trump administration would support a prohibition on masks for federal agents, Jeffries said, “That’s an open question.”
“They don’t appear to be open to … ensuring that ICE agents are identifiable in a manner consistent with every other law enforcement agency in the country,” Jeffries said.
Also speaking Tuesday morning, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he believed there was still room for compromise, with support from at least seven Senate Democrats needed for any shutdown-averting stopgap measure.
“There are things I think on probably both sides that are non-negotiables,” he said. “But I do think there are a number of things in the range of common ground.”
Speaking on the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer struck a more cautious tone than Jeffries, saying Democrats “need to see more from Republicans very soon.”
“What Democrats propose is the definition of common sense,” he said. “We simply want ICE to follow the same standards that most law enforcement agencies across America already follow.”
Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
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