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A partial government shutdown continues as Congressional Democrats and the White House exchange proposals to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its related agencies.
As you know, the stalemate over the DHS appropriations bill stems from disagreements about immigration enforcement tactics. Some of the concessions Democrats are seeking include prohibiting immigration enforcement officers from wearing masks and requiring them to display name badges. Meeting those demands, in particular, could endanger officers who have been doxed and threatened just for doing their job. But with tight vote margins, there will have to be some level of compromise if we want to pass a DHS funding bill through both chambers of Congress.
What makes this shutdown particularly perplexing is that the immigration enforcement agencies Democrats are most concerned about—ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—will continue to operate with minimal interruptions. This is because Congress already gave them a large amount of funding in the budget reconciliation package.
Instead, the agencies feeling the impact are the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard (USCG), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Because of the shutdown, many TSA agents are being asked to work without pay; FEMA’s ability to respond to natural disasters is reduced; the Coast Guard faces disruptions to operations, services, and training; and CISA’s capacity to prevent cybersecurity threats may be hindered.
This partial shutdown is especially difficult for the federal employees who are still reeling from last year’s government shutdown. Next week, both the House and Senate will return to Washington, D.C., and it is my hope that we can reach an agreement. |