Senate GOP Pushes DHS Funding Minus ICE as Talks Run Into Trump’s Demand

Overview

• Senate Republican leaders advanced a plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security by funding most operations but withholding money for ICE enforcement, and top Democrats rejected it while preparing a counteroffer.
• President Trump criticized the carve‑out and said he wants Democrats to first back his SAVE America voter ID legislation, a condition GOP leaders acknowledge does not have the votes to pass.
• The strategy, pitched to Trump in a White House meeting on Monday, would defer ICE deportation funding to a separate bill that Republicans say could move under budget reconciliation, which needs only 51 Senate votes.
• Democrats have pressed for ICE changes in parallel talks, including body cameras, clear identification for agents, and limits on arrests in places like hospitals, schools, and churches.
• The DHS shutdown is nearing 40 days, with long TSA lines and unpaid screeners at U.S. airports putting fresh pressure on both parties to cut a deal.