One month later, White House and Democrats no closer to ending the DHS shutdown

Republicans hope longer wait times at airports will be the pressure point Democrats need to drop their immigration enforcement demands. Democrats aren’t giving up their fight.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and ranking member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) last month. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

Top Democrats and White House officials are nowhere near close to a breakthrough in negotiations to end the Homeland Security shutdown as the funding lapse is due to hit its one-month mark Saturday and real pain begins.

It’s been more than two weeks since the White House laid out its latest proposal for restoring full Department of Homeland Security operations alongside changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, and Democrats have yet to send a formal counteroffer in the negotiations spurred by the fatal shootings by federal agents in January of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota.

TSA screeners are now missing their first full paychecks of the shutdown, which could lead to more agents skipping work or quitting — and exacerbate already-lengthy wait times at airport security checkpoints throughout the country. Republicans think this could be the breaking point where Democrats relent.

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