The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 18, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, acknowledged frustrations raised by progressives, but fell short of outright condemning the bill.
"I understand that many of my Democratic colleagues may be dissatisfied with any bill that funds ICE. I share their frustration with the out-of-control agency. I encourage my colleagues to review the bill and determine what is best for their constituents and communities," DeLauro said in a statement Tuesday morning.
"The Homeland Security funding bill is more than just ICE. If we allow a lapse in funding, TSA agents will be forced to work without pay, FEMA assistance could be delayed and the U.S. Coast Guard will be adversely affected," she said.
A significant number of far-left Democrats threatened to vote against funding for DHS days before the package was released.
"I am glad to announce that the Congressional Progressive Caucus has adopted an official position to hold ICE accountable. Our caucus members will oppose all funding for immigration enforcement in any appropriations bills until meaningful reforms are enacted to end militarized policing practices," Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said last week at a press event.
Omar is the deputy chair for the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a group of more than 70 lawmakers.
$174B SPENDING PACKAGE TO AVERT SHUTDOWN CLEARS KEY HURDLE IN SENATE
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters following closed-door party meetings at the Capitol in Washington, June 17, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
Schumer, in particular, has been wary of flirting with another shutdown in the wake of the longest closure in U.S. history, instead arguing that Democrats want to focus on funding the government through spending bills, largely to include their own priorities and to try to reverse any spending cuts from the past year.
And Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, charged that the DHS under Secretary Kristi Noem was "frankly sick and un-American," and that ICE was "out-of-control."
But, she acknowledged that the best way Democrats could try to corral them would be through the government funding process.
"ICE must be reined in, and unfortunately, neither a CR nor a shutdown would do anything to restrain it, because, thanks to Republicans, ICE is now sitting on a massive slush fund it can tap whether or not we pass a funding bill," Murray said.
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"The suggestion that a shutdown in this moment might curb the lawlessness of this administration is not rooted in reality: under a CR and in a shutdown, this administration can do everything they are already doing — but without any of the critical guardrails and constraints imposed by a full-year funding bill," she continued.
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/congress-unveils-1-2t-spending-bill-progressive-revolt-brews-over-ice-funding