Democrats split on shielding unrelated from funding fight over ICE

Democrats are split on whether to spare the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and other agencies from the possibility of a government shutdown as lawmakers remain gridlocked over Democrats’ demands for funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“The lawless, reckless people who are marauding bands wild on our street — to hell with that,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital, referring to the agents carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“But let’s take care of those agencies that are doing the right thing.”

Other Democrats, however, believe now is the time to play hardball over the changes they want to see and aren’t inclined to cut deals that don’t directly address their demands.

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“I don’t think there should be any deals so long as Kristi Noem heads that department,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. 

“Fire her — then (they) can have my vote.”

In the wake of two deadly confrontations between border enforcement and civilians in Minnesota earlier in 2026, Democrats are demanding stronger warrant requirements, a ban on masks, a ban against racial profiling, an end to paramilitary police and more before funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which operates under DHS.

Republicans have balked at those demands, arguing they would handcuff the agency’s operations.

But even amid those tensions, DeLauro believes Democrats — and Republicans — can find common ground to shield unrelated agencies from suffering the fallout if lawmakers can’t come to an agreement by Friday.

Until then, DHS is running off a two-week spending extension lawmakers agreed to when this same issue threatened a larger, $1.2 trillion spending package earlier this in February. 

When the impasse over ICE looked poised to tank the bill, lawmakers split off non-DHS funding to shrink the scope of the disagreement. DeLauro believes Congress should do that again now.

“We are strongly supportive of TSA, of the Coast Guard, of FEMA, of cybersecurity, of the Secret Service, and we applaud what they do,” DeLauro said, listing more services that could be affected.

“We are not for what ICE and CBP are doing. We are going to be supportive of the other agencies.”

Other Democrats, especially moderates, agreed with DeLauro.

“Sounds reasonable,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., said of her idea. “I don’t think anybody likes shutdowns — certainly not the Coast Guard, certainly not TSA.”

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“I agree with that,” Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said of DeLauro’s proposal.

“Even if we do a shutdown, ICE has $75 billion dollars from the big ugly bill. So even if you shut down, the other ones get affected except the one you’re trying to target.”

As Cuellar pointed out, Republicans allocated large sums to ICE through Trump’s signature tax reform and border security package, which passed in July 2025. The package came with enough funding to keep ICE afloat for years. ICE’s budget in 2025 was just shy of $30 billion, meaning that ICE could remain operational for at least two years even without additional funding for 2026.

Still, other Democrats remained undecided about what approach the caucus should take.

“I think there are a lot of things that have to go into the mix,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. “The most important thing right now is the proposal that we put on the table. ICE must be reined in from the practices that they have been engaging in.”

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Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., echoed Wasserman Schultz’s hesitation.

“I have a lot of respect for my colleague — a lot of respect for her. I’ll probably talk to her about that. But as it stands with this administration, I don’t see any way I could do anything but vote no,” Bell said.

“We’re supposed to be here to protect Americans. How the administration is deploying ICE is deplorable,” Bell added.

On Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., didn’t speak to whether he would support DeLauro’s proposal.

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“We don’t look at the moment that we’re in as exercising leverage over the other side. We want to fund the government in a manner that actually promotes the health, the safety and the economic well-being of the American people,” Jeffries said at a press conference.

“The ball is in the Republicans’ court right now. We sent over a proposal,” Jeffries said, referring to the 10 demands Democrats had made. “We’ve given them legislative language as it relates to the types of dramatic reforms of DHS that the American people are demanding, and we’ve heard nothing but crickets from the other side.”