Trump Dismisses Funding Proposal as Airport Delays Escalate
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., engaged in discussions with President Donald Trump on Sunday regarding a potential funding solution aimed at alleviating the long lines and delays plaguing airports.
The proposal would allocate funds to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which Democrats have resisted supporting without new immigration enforcement limitations, according to two sources familiar with the talks.
White House aides initially presented the concept to Trump, leading to Thune's subsequent conversation with the president. The discussions extended to Republican members on Capitol Hill, with one source indicating that many Republicans view this as a feasible way to resolve the ongoing impasse.
ICE funding would be addressed separately through a party-line “reconciliation” bill, allowing Republicans to proceed without Democratic backing later this year.
With the DHS shutdown extending beyond a month, key operations like TSA and FEMA continue, albeit with many employees working without pay. Reports indicate that over 400 TSA officers have resigned since the shutdown commenced. Meanwhile, ICE remains inactive, but its personnel are compensated through last year's substantial funding bill.
Republicans are optimistic that the off-ramp discussed by Trump and Thune could garner Democratic support, as Democrats have expressed willingness to fund non-controversial aspects of DHS while negotiations on immigration persist.
However, Trump swiftly dismissed the proposal in a Truth Social post on Sunday night.
“I don’t think we should make any deal with the Crazy, Country Destroying, Radical Left Democrats unless, and until, they Vote with Republicans to pass ‘THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,’” Trump stated, urging Republicans to “Kill the Filibuster, and stay in D.C. for Easter, if necessary.”
Trump’s initial suggestions face significant hurdles. Democrats are resolute in opposing the SAVE America Act, which lacks sufficient support for passage. Additionally, Republicans have indicated they do not possess the votes necessary to eliminate the filibuster. Nonetheless, they may consider canceling recess if an agreement remains elusive by week’s end.
The dialogue between Thune and Trump was first reported by Punchbowl News.
In Memphis on Monday, Trump reiterated his stance on linking Homeland Security funding with voting legislation.
“You don’t have to take a fast vote. Don’t worry about Easter, going home. In fact, make this one for Jesus. OK, make this one for Jesus,” he remarked, emphasizing that “the most important part of homeland security is voter ID and proof of citizenship. Nobody can vote on Homeland Security without voter ID or proof of citizenship.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office announced that Democrats would again seek unanimous consent to fund only TSA on the Senate floor Monday, marking their eighth attempt.
So far, Republicans have rejected these standalone bills.
If Trump were to reconsider and accept the Thune-GOP proposal, it could yield advantages for both parties. Republicans could sidestep Democratic demands regarding immigration enforcement protocols, while Democrats could distance themselves from ICE funding, which has become contentious among their base following incidents involving Homeland Security agents.
“We can be out of this shutdown by the end of the week,” asserted Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on Sunday. “Here’s what we do. The Democrats are amenable to opening up everything at DHS but ICE. We should accept that. The very next day, we should file a budget resolution through reconciliation that funds ICE as we deem appropriate. We don’t need Democratic votes to do that.”
Democrats are also poised to leverage Trump’s social media remarks to argue that he bears responsibility for the shutdown and ensuing travel disruptions.
Reconciliation bills are complex and require near-unanimous support among Republicans, particularly given their slim House majority. There is considerable skepticism regarding the party's ability to navigate this process successfully. However, the necessity of funding an agency like ICE could heighten the urgency for pursuing this route.
Under last year’s “big, beautiful bill,” ICE received approximately $75 billion over four years to facilitate Trump’s mass deportation initiatives.
This situation presents another potential advantage for the White House: some of Trump’s allies have suggested using reconciliation to secure additional funding for his military actions in Iran, though it remains uncertain whether this would attract sufficient Democratic support.
