With Transportation Security Administration agents and other critical workers in the Department of Homeland Security facing the prospect of their first missed paychecks this week, Senate Democrats on Thursday defeated an effort to vote on a funding bill that would end a partial government shutdown now approaching the one-month mark.
The motion to proceed on a House-passed DHS funding bill failed 51 to 46, well short of the 60-vote threshold, with Sen. John Fetterman joining Republicans voting in favor. Senate Democrats have now rejected the funding bill four times.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats continue to demand reforms at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection in exchange for voting to reopen DHS. Democrats are calling for multiple changes at the agencies following a rash of violent and deadly incidents during the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and other cities around the country.
“We all know that we do not have agreement on how to deal with ICE,” Schumer said. “We know very simply that Democrats just want ICE to behave like any police department in America and use warrants and not wear masks.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune accused Democrats of failing to respond to White House offers of reforms that Democratic leaders have characterized as insufficient.
No to other options: As lawmakers expressed concerns about the effect the shutdown was having on the nation’s travel infrastructure and security, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen offered a proposal for a bill that would pay TSA agents, to be passed by unanimous consent, but Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno objected, saying he wanted to see all DHS workers get paid.
On Wednesday, Republicans blocked a Democratic bill that would have funded all DHS agencies other than those focused on immigration enforcement, including TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard. Republican Sen. Katie Britt objected to the effort to pass the bill by unanimous consent.
Housing bill passes: Separately on Thursday, in a notably bipartisan effort, the Senate passed a housing reform bill written by Republican Sen. Tim Scott and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, with a vote tally of 89-10.
The largest piece of housing legislation in decades, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act aims to increase housing supply and affordability by modernizing federal programs, easing regulations and banning large investors from buying single-family homes.
“If we want to bring down the cost of housing, we've got to build a lot more,” Warren said. “And what I love about this bill is that it has more than 40 different provisions in it, all of which aim in the same direction, which is to give a push toward building more housing.”
The House passed a similar bill last month, but some House Republicans have complained that the Senate version is not conservative enough, with members of the Freedom Caucus saying it borders on “socialism.” Conservative critics object to a provision that would ban the Federal Reserve from issuing central bank digital currencies until at least 2030 (they want a permanent ban), and the provision that would limit housing purchases by institutional investors.
President Trump has spoken in favor of the investor ban, and signed an executive order in January that set “the stage for legislation to ensure that large institutional investors do not acquire single-family homes.”
What’s next: Speaker Mike Johnson said this week that the housing bills may have to go to conference to iron out any disagreements, a process that could hold up the legislation for weeks.
But Republican Sen. John Kennedy said Thursday that he thinks lawmakers can hammer out a deal informally. “I don’t think we’ll need a conference. I think we’ll get it worked out,” he said, per Politico. “If one side, Senate or House, is being unreasonable, the White House may have to slap a couple of people to Pluto,” he added. “But we’re not there yet.”