Senate Democrats are cautiously optimistic about a potential agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security. But it’s far from a done deal.

As negotiations ramp up on Capitol Hill to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, Senate Democrats seem to be clinging to a particular word: reforms.

It was a term party leaders used in the context of Immigration and Customs Enforcement nearly two dozen times during a March 24 news conference.

The refrain threw cold water on a new GOP compromise to fund the critical agency — minus ICE’s enforcement and removal operations — and end a crisis that has upended air travel across the country.

“Democrats are continuing to push for modest reforms,” Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, told reporters. “The current Republican offer in front of us does not do that.”

  • ytsedude@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    “Democrats are continuing to push for modest reforms” is the most 2026 quote I’ve ever read.

    • Tilgare@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      And yet that is all it takes to grind this government to a halt - they ask for basically nothing at all and still, they are given no quarter. They should almost all be fired, the red hats should be just as mad at their idiot congresspeople for accomplishing nothing.

    • bbbbbbbbbbb@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      “Will they capitulate at the smallest change and a promise of republicans maybe, possibly, potentially sneezing at the thought of doing anything different? Stay tuned…”

      • OwOarchist@pawb.social
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        17 hours ago

        Tomorrow: “In exchange for a pinky swear from congressional Republicans that a vote for moderate reforms would be held sometime in the next year, Democrats have given in to all Republican demands and passed the funding bill with no changes.”

        • archonet@lemy.lol
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          16 hours ago

          The day after: “Republicans break pinky swear – “No one could have seen this coming” says Fetterman; Democrats sigh, throw up their hands, and collectively go ‘whaddayagonnadoaboutit?’; Schumer writes strongly worded letter.”