Congress
Democrats plan DHS funding offer as Thune floats long-term punt
Democratic and Republican leaders showed no sign of narrowing their differences on Department of Homeland Security funding Wednesday as a Feb. 13 deadline draws nearer.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated demands for new restrictions on immigration enforcement agencies at a joint news conference. Flanked by other Democratic leaders, the leaders said they plan to submit draft legislation to Republicans by Thursday.
“We’re going to have tough, strong legislation,” Schumer said. “We want our Republican colleagues to finally get serious about this, because this is turning America inside out.”
Earlier Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune not only warned that a deal would be next to impossible to consummate before next week’s deadline but threatened a possible long-term stopgap that would effectively exclude changes to immigration enforcement.
Without quick progress in the talks, he said, “it may be the best way to deal with this particular appropriations bill is, do a year-long CR if that’s what it takes,” Thune said, referring to a continuing resolution that would continue existing DHS funding levels through Sept. 30.
While the two Democratic leaders reiterated in a news conference that they are “on the same page,” Jeffries and Schumer declined to draw the same red lines on a full-year DHS punt.
Jeffries said after the news conference he is “a hard no” on a full-year CR, while Schumer stopped short of a hard commitment.
“Republicans shouldn’t expect our votes if they’re not willing to enact strong, tough reform,” he said when asked if Senate Democrats would oppose another punt.
The list of demands Jeffries and Schumer laid out Wednesday largely tracks with an earlier list of DHS proposals Senate Democrats put forward after the Jan. 24 killing of a Minneapolis man by federal agents there. They include prohibiting masks for federal agents in most circumstances and requiring a judge to sign off on warrants for DHS immigration apprehensions — proposals that some top Republicans have already rejected.
In addition to the policy sparring Wednesday, there was some personal squabbling, too — including over who should be involved in notching any agreement.
Thune suggested any deal needed to be cut primarily between Democrats and the Trump administration. He also warned that he does not view Jeffries as a reliable negotiating partner.
“He’s just not, and I think he and, for that matter, Leader Schumer are afraid of their shadows and they are getting a lot of blowback and pressure from their left,” he said. “I don’t think he wants a deal at all. I think he wants the issue.”
Jeffries, in response to the comments, said it was Thune who is “afraid of his own shadow” in the form of President Donald Trump.
“We are negotiating in good faith because we want to try to achieve an outcome, but the changes that are enacted with respect to the way in which the Department of Homeland Security is conducting itself need to be bold, meaningful and transformative,” he told reporters.
Congress
Democrats continue midterm blowout, picking up seats in North Carolina, Virginia and Arizona
Democrats have extended their midterm dominance in North Carolina, notching four more victories — including three flips — in districts affected by Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting push last year.
Democrats Cyril Jefferson, Paul Barringer and Lakesha Womack upset incumbent Republican Reps. Addison McDowell, Brad Knott and Tim Moore, respectively. Elsewhere in the state, two-term Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) defeated Republican Laurie Buckhout in the state’s redrawn 1st District. Democrats have now won eight House seats in North Carolina and could still win two more, despite an October 2025 map redraw that favored Republicans in 11 of the state’s 14 seats.
The wins reinforce Democrats’ yawning House majority, which the party secured relatively early Tuesday, as voters punish President Donald Trump and the GOP for sky-high prices and the continued war in Iran.
Davis’ redrawn district favored Trump by more than 11 points in 2024, and he currently leads it by 10,000 votes with 1% of the vote left to count.
The party flipped several more high-profile seats in other states, The Associated Press projected Thursday, with physician Amish Shah besting former NFL kicker Jay Feely in Arizona’s open 1st District. Democrats have long coveted the suburban Phoenix seat, held in recent years by GOP Rep. David Schweikert.
In Virginia, Democratic prosecutor Shannon Taylor flipped a district represented by GOP Rep. Rob Wittman since 2007.
Sam Forstag, a former smokejumper, became the first Democrat to win a House seat in Montana in decades, claiming victory in a district the president won by nearly 12 points two years ago.
Republicans were still able to hold a handful of seats in longtime ruby-red territory, albeit by significantly smaller margins than expected. New York GOP Reps. Andrew Garbarino and Nick LaLota scraped victories in their Long Island districts. So too did Reps. French Hill (R-Ark.), Matt Van Epps (R-Tenn.), John McGuire (R-Va.) and Blake Moore (R-Utah).
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told GOP committee chairs Thursday to steel themselves for upcoming Democratic investigations into President Donald Trump’s administration and other targets.
“Although they ran on affordability, it is clear the main focus of their new majority will be retribution and unleashing countless witch hunts under the guise of ‘oversight,’” he said of Democrats in the letter obtained by POLITICO.
Scalise told the chairs to take “inventory” of the investigations they believe Democrats could launch under their committees’ jurisdiction and identify administration officials who could be targets.
He also warned Democrats have “signaled they intend to impeach President Trump, but they will not stop there.” He also noted that Democrats are expected to target Trump’s family, cabinet officials and key allies.
“You all will be a key line of defense in this fight, and we must maximize our remaining days in power to prepare for what is coming,” Scalise said in the letter.
The Louisiana Republican is currently in a battle with Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan — known for his oversight and investigations experience — to take over as top GOP leader next Congress. Jordan is arguing to members he is best prepared to counter Democrats, calling himself “battle-tested on the oversight front” in his letter to colleagues.
Rep. Joe Neguse announced a run for assistant speaker in a letter to colleagues Thursday.
“If elected Assistant Speaker, my goals would be straight-forward — to prioritize direct member services for every member of our diverse and talented caucus, and to assist Speaker Jeffries and our incredible Democratic Leadership team,” the Colorado Democrat wrote.
Neguse now serves as assistant minority leader. He currently running unopposed.
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