Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) reported on the 27th, citing reports from Politico and other media outlets, that as the Department of Homeland Security's shutdown entered its third week, funding negotiations between the White House and congressional Democrats remained deadlocked. Although the White House submitted a new funding proposal to congressional Democrats on the evening of the 26th, fundamental differences between the two parties on immigration enforcement are making the restoration of funding for this crucial department extremely difficult.
The report stated that since the funding shortfall occurred on February 14th, several agencies under the Department of Homeland Security have been forced to suspend operations. The Senate attempted to pass legislation to restore funding on the 23rd, but failed. This has left departments responsible for immigration enforcement, airport security, and cyber infrastructure facing financial difficulties, and critical services such as disaster relief at risk of disruption.
According to reports, White House officials described the latest proposal as a "serious proposal" and urged "Democrats to take action to end the shutdown so that more Americans are not harmed by a lack of funding for critical services such as disaster relief." However, after receiving the proposal, the Democrats only stated that they were "carefully reviewing it" and made no concrete commitment.
Analysts say the root of the disagreement lies in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement strategy. Democrats have made it clear that after the deaths of two people by federal immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis in January, they vowed to push for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to curb its "violent enforcement practices." This stance directly clashes with the Trump administration's hardline immigration policies, becoming the core sticking point in the partisan tug-of-war.
Despite the White House's gesture in its latest proposal, Senate Minority Leader Schumer pointed out that the Republicans' position has not fundamentally changed. "They're just trying to pass the proposal back and forth; there's no real change." Due to factors such as the Senate recess, the earliest action is expected from next week.
Ironically, the law enforcement agencies that caused the "shutdown stalemate"—such as ICE and the Border Patrol—have been largely unaffected, having received funding from a bill passed by Republicans last year. Those truly facing the risk of funding depletion are ordinary public services sectors like disaster relief. With the Northeast recently hit by a blizzard, the rapid depletion of disaster relief funds will make this issue even more urgent.
