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Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he offered Republicans a chance to save the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the current government shutdown that is approaching a month old on Saturday after another failed DHS vote on Thursday.
Republicans believe the offer was little more than political theater that ignored the core of the funding impasse as concerns grow about threats from Iranian sleeper cells and chaos at airports.
“I just offered a UC to fund FEMA and the Republicans rejected it,” Schiff said, referring to the Senate's process for passing legislation on the spot, known as “unanimous consent.”
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., a lawmaker who has blocked UC during shutdowns in the past, criticized Democrats for, in her view, trying to focus negotiations on larger disagreements with DHS.
SENATE TO TEST VOTE TO END 27-DAY DHS SHUTDOWN
Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington, DC, Sunday, October 5, 2025. (Shannon Finney/NBC) via Getty Images)
“We would like the opportunity to continue to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security. Look, the people who sent us here expect more,” Britt said in remarks on the Senate floor.
“They expect us to have difficult conversations. They expect us to find a way forward. And that's exactly what we're trying to do today.”
An angry Senate Majority Leader, John Barrasso, R-Wyo., accused Senate Democrats of trying to dismantle the agency at a time for which it was designed, while the war in Iran has prompted threats of retaliation in the United States from sleeper cells.
“And that's at a time when our homeland is under attack, all the warning lights are on red, and they want to dismantle, piece by piece, the Department of Homeland Security, the integral department of our government to protect the American people, because they want to support criminal illegal immigrants,” Barrasso said.
Schumer stated that Senate Democrats would continue to introduce incremental funding bills to reopen certain parts of the agency, such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), while negotiations continued.
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed on Feb. 14 as a series of demands Democrats made regarding operational reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stalled, reforms that Republicans believe will curb President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
FEMA was scheduled to receive $32 billion in 2026, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Among other things, Democrats have demanded a no-mask policy, an end to roving patrols, stricter warrant requirements for arrests and clearly visible identification for ICE agents.
DHS SHUTDOWN DRAWS INTO WEEK TWO AS IRAN THREAT AND SOTU SHOCK COMPLICATE HILL'S TALKS
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday, January 20, 2026 that, “in a dangerous attempt to evade arrest,” a “criminal illegal alien used his vehicle as a weapon and rammed into authorities” in Compton, California. A criminal illegal alien allegedly rammed authorities in a California operation. (KTTV)
Although talks are ongoing, lawmakers have said critical disagreements remain.
Like ICE, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operates under DHS along with other agencies such as the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern that non-ICE reforms that Democrats have demanded are threatening the country's preparedness to respond to natural disasters.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., hinted that Democrats would like to eliminate that possibility.
“We just asked for a UC to do it…so,” Cantwell said of the DHS funding dispute.
TSA WORKERS PREPARE FOR LOST PAYCHECKS AS DEMOCRATS STAND FIRM ON DHS FUNDING
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is seen as FEMA makes preparations for a winter storm that will affect much of the US in early 2026. (DHS photo by Tia Dufour)
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According to Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Katie Britt, R-Alabama, DHS employees lost their first full paycheck this week. Additionally, FEMA reserve funds have been reduced to $4 billion, the primary account used to coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts.
Fox News Digital's Alex Miller contributed to this report.
