Bipartisan Senators Meet with Homan on DHS Shutdown

A bipartisan group of senators convened behind closed doors on Thursday with White House border security official Tom Homan in Washington, marking a tentative step forward in efforts to resolve a government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security that has lasted more than a month.

The shutdown began on February 14 when funding for the department expired. Democrats have withheld support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, citing the need for operational reforms following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. The meeting included key appropriators from both parties, who described the discussions as productive yet distant from agreement. Senator Katie Britt, a Republican from Alabama, indicated that the White House would soon present a counteroffer, after which lawmakers plan to reconvene.

The impasse has already strained operations at airports nationwide, with reports of extended lines at security checkpoints as Transportation Security Administration agents, working without pay, increasingly call in sick. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that delays could intensify next week. "The airport lines...