Republicans block Dems' bill stripping ICE funding from DHS

(The Center Square) – Nearly a month into the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, Congress is no closer to a deal to reopen the department, with Republicans and Democrats still at a stalemate over immigration enforcement reforms. This is the second time in less than six months that Democrats have forced a shutdown over policy demands, resulting in hundreds of thousands of federal employees missing paychecks. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., attempted Wednesday to advance funding legislation that would isolate border patrol and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement funding from the Homeland Security appropriations bill. Murray argued that funding all of the department except CBP and ICE would allow negotiations to continue while allowing agencies like the Transportation Security Administration, FEMA, and the Coast Guard to operate uninhibited and pay their workers. “The reason we are he