The White House promptly rejected a Senate Democratic proposal for restraints on federal immigration agents Wednesday, saying those talks should occur on a separate track from negotiations on a $1.3 trillion fiscal 2026 spending package hung up in the Senate.
The administration’s stance throws a wrench into bipartisan talks to try to get the huge appropriations bill unstuck before Friday night’s deadline when stopgap funding for several Cabinet departments, including Homeland Security, runs out.
“The White House is committed to avoiding a shutdown, and to productive dialogue with the Congress,” a White House official said Wednesday afternoon. “A demand for agreement on legislative reforms as a condition of funding the Department of Homeland Security with a government funding deadline just 48 hours away is a demand for a partial government shutdown.”
