"We're making people hurt": Democrats adopt new tactic to win DHS shutdown fight
Quick Insights
The Bottom Line
Democrats pursue partial DHS funding to pressure Republicans while excluding ICE and CBP.
How This Affects You
Federal workers face continued paycheck delays; airports risk closure during ongoing shutdown.
AI Summary
House Democrats launched a discharge petition Monday to fund most Department of Homeland Security agencies while excluding ICE and Customs and Border Protection, seeking to end a month-long shutdown amid federal worker paycheck delays and threatened airport closures. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced the strategy in a letter to members, arguing the plan maintains Democratic leverage while shifting blame to Republicans. The petition requires 218 signatures to force a vote, but Democrats acknowledge they need four Republican votes to succeed—a challenge given GOP lawmakers' insistence the Senate negotiate full agency funding. Some centrist Democrats criticized the tactic as ineffective, saying it prolongs shutdown without resolving the underlying dispute. Senior Democrats including DeLauro and Thompson cited the White House's unresponsiveness to immigration enforcement reform demands as justification for the partial-funding approach.
What's Being Done
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries launched discharge petition requiring 218 signatures to force vote on partial DHS funding.
Source Coverage Map
7 of 43 tracked sources covered this story
Following this story?
Get notified when new coverage appears
Other Sources Covering This Story
5 sourcesMultiple outlets have reported on this story. Compare perspectives from different sources.
This article is part of a story we're tracking:
Should this be getting more attention?
You Might Have Missed
Related stories from different sources and perspectives
PoliticsDemocrats brush off latest DHS counteroffer from White House: ‘Wholly inadequate’
Democrats on Wednesday sharply criticized the White House’s latest counter-proposal aimed at ending the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, arguing that it falls short of sufficiently addressing their concerns about the administration’s immigration crackdown. The counterproposal, outlined in a letter by border czar Tom Homan and White House legislative affairs director James Braid, is…
PoliticsTrump says Democrats must cheat to win. What do his supporters think?
NPR spent several days traveling across a pair of swing districts in Pennsylvania to find out. The answers show how much has changed since the 2020 election.
PoliticsCongressional Democrats say Trump tariffs will cost US households more than $2,500 this year - AP News
<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirwFBVV95cUxQcG9HeHNaR0RzRzZqMGNXNU9UUzhmYlVzaEd1NGdKRVpVcWdpR2FaS09JRXd2QlRBbFEzWjBPeHlOZFFoYlZqNnBBN0lkd2E0SjF5RFNZbmdmMWNfTExYY21fR3pyQVZfa2xVX01oMVl4NTBqeFBUeDd1U0k3ZGhoZm5NNVk4Zlp6ZEFJWk5JQ3Itd3ViODkyS05WS2lLQ1lRdGNUU2h3SmZyUjc2blI4?oc=5" target="_blank">Congressional Democrats say Trump tariffs will cost US households more than $2,500 this year</a> <font color="#6f6f6f">AP News</font>
PoliticsScoop: Hakeem Jeffries faces growing threat of a 2027 rebellion from his members
<p>House Minority Leader <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/25/state-of-the-union-democrats-jeffries-trump" target="_blank">Hakeem Jeffries</a> (D-N.Y.) could get caught in the undertow of the very blue wave he hopes to ride into power this November as a growing number of Democratic candidates tell Axios they can't commit to backing his leadership.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>It's a stark reversal from Jeffries' <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/21/hakeem-jeffries-speaker-mike-johnson-israel-ukraine" target="_blank">virtually untouchable standing</a> in the Democratic Party just a few years ago — and a sign that his path to the speakership may be rockier than previously thought.</p><hr><ul><li>Jeffries and his allies maintain they are not remotely worried about a mass defection, pointing out that — even in the minority — he has had to endure 20 speakers' ballots and hasn't lost a Democratic vote.</li><li>But this crop of freshmen may provide the first chink in th...
PoliticsMullin makes his case as a steady hand for DHS but faces Senate pushback over his temperament - AP News
<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqAFBVV95cUxOcGxKSXVIckxfOUxqdDJaRGxzWmtfMkYwcDR5Mmp1bUFaam1kdVh4b2VUWGVEUkU0S2Nsd3hKVEhVRDRzMG0tZWRLMDNDYktmbDE5cnF5SWRzTkdGLWZjNlNhc0NpZ1BndXdiYTRqSkNIXzc3M0tYNGo3UHUxcG9WenVLaHRTWjBNOVFaajNFcV9qWVo5WVRieGhmVk83c1pSWWFtbkYxSWU?oc=5" target="_blank">Mullin makes his case as a steady hand for DHS but faces Senate pushback over his temperament</a> <font color="#6f6f6f">AP News</font>
PoliticsDemocrats like Markwayne Mullin but that doesn’t mean they’ll vote for him for DHS secretary - CNN
Trump’s $10 billion TikTok ‘brokerage fee’ is just the tip of the iceberg
Not only is this pay-to-play arrangement with the federal government unprecedented; it also smacks of possible corruption.
Did this story change how you see things?
Stories like this only matter when people see them. Help us get verified journalism in front of more eyes.
The Verity Ledger curates verified investigative journalism from trusted sources only.
See our sourcesMost Read This Week
Race on to establish globally recognised 'AI-free' logo
Biggest wildfire in Nebraska history continues to burn out of control - abcnews.com
TikTok and Meta risked safety to win algorithm arms race, whistleblowers say
Defense official reveals how AI chatbots could be used for targeting decisions
Bank of America reaches proposed, non-binding settlement in Jeffrey Epstein suit
