The White House said Friday it made a "serious counteroffer" to congressional Democrats in an effort to end the two-week funding lapse affecting several Department of Homeland Security agencies.
Senate Democrats on Feb. 13 blocked a House-passed DHS appropriations bill for the current fiscal year after their demands for changes to immigration enforcement were not met.
Immigration enforcement operations, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, were fully funded under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
But funding for other DHS components, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coast Guard, Secret Service, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Transportation Security Administration, has lapsed, leaving them operating without new appropriations.
The sides have struggled to make progress since the Senate on Monday failed to advance legislation restoring the funding.
"Democrats need to make a move to end the shutdown before more Americans are harmed by a lack of funding for critical services like disaster relief," a White House official told Politico, describing the latest proposal as a "serious counteroffer."
Spokespersons for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a joint statement they "received the White House's counteroffer and are reviewing it closely," Politico reported.
"Democrats remain committed to keep fighting for real reforms to rein in ICE and stop the violence," the statement added.
No congressional action is expected until the middle of next week at the earliest, with the Senate out until Monday and the House not voting until Wednesday.
Democrats have not weighed in publicly on the latest White House offer, according to Politico. But Schumer said this week that Republicans have not meaningfully changed their position as talks have continued.
"They’re just trying to pass paper back and forth with no real changes," he told reporters.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.