GOP senator suggests 2-step move to break DHS funding deadlock

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) proposed a two-step funding approach to break the ongoing DHS shutdown and overcome Democratic resistance to reopening the agency. The Department of Homeland Security has been closed for more than a month as Democrats block funding unless major reforms are made to ICE and other immigration enforcement operations. Kennedy's proposal suggests Republicans are seeking a procedural workaround to pass DHS funding without conceding to Democratic demands for structural changes to the agency's immigration enforcement apparatus. The deadlock has left the department without regular appropriations and has become a flashpoint in broader negotiations over immigration policy between the two parties. A two-step process could allow Republicans to separate DHS funding from other contentious policy fights, potentially moving toward reopening while preserving leverage on immigration enforcement issues.