Senate Republican Leader John Thune accused Democrats of refusing multiple compromise offers to restart funding for DHS, arguing their opposition to immigration enforcement has now left TSA agents working without pay for nearly half the fiscal year. “Republicans have bent over backward to negotiate with Democrats, and now Democrats need to get serious about funding the Department of Homeland Security,” he said. “They claim that they want to fund the department. They claim that they’re concerned about TSA officers and others working without pay. But, Mr. President, talk is cheap, and their actions belie their words.” “Last fall, Democrats shut down the entire federal government for a record-breaking 43 days. Their Department of Homeland Security shutdown is now on its 41st day, which means that, thanks to Democrats, TSA agents have spent almost half-almost half-of the fiscal year working without pay.” “Let that sink in,” he said. “It’s no wonder they’re quitting in droves, or that, as an NBC article yesterday reported, they’ve been reduced to things like selling blood and plasma-yes, blood and plasma-just to get by.” “Republicans are at the table. We’ve been at the table. Now it’s long past time for Democrats to get serious,” Thune said. “How much worse do things have to get? How many more Americans have to suffer before Democrats do their jobs and work with Republicans to fund the government?”

SEN. JOHN THUNE: Mr. President, enough is enough. Republicans have bent over backward to negotiate with Democrats, and now Democrats need to get serious about funding the Department of Homeland Security. Let’s just review things for a minute here, Mr. President. In January, Republicans and Democrats in the House and the Senate reached an agreement on the Department of Homeland Security funding bill, including a number of reforms-de-escalation training for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, increased funding for body cameras, and increased oversight of border security and immigration enforcement funding. The Democrats reneged on that agreement. Republicans said, OK, we’ll reopen negotiations. The White House offered up a robust list of additional reforms, and Democrats said no. Then, over the weekend, Democrats suggested that they would agree to fund the entire department with the exception of immigration enforcement operations. And we offered them a bill to do exactly that, and Democrats still refused. Mr. President, it seems that Democrats have no interest in reaching an agreement. Many of them are perfectly willing to leave the Department of Homeland Security unfunded for the long term. They claim that they want to fund the department. They claim that they’re concerned about TSA officers and others working without pay. But, Mr. President, talk is cheap, and their actions belie their words. If Democrats cared about TSA officers, if they cared about Coast Guard employees, if they cared about the vital work of the Department of Homeland Security, then they would be getting serious about closing a deal-not ceaselessly offering up the same unchanging list of demands like a broken record, or a particularly nightmarish version of Groundhog Day. Mr. President, last fall Democrats shut down the entire federal government for a record-breaking 43 days. Their Department of Homeland Security shutdown is now on its 41st day, which means that, thanks to Democrats, TSA agents have spent almost half-almost half-of the fiscal year working without pay. Let that sink in for a minute, Mr. President. Thanks to Democrats, TSA agents have spent almost half of this fiscal year working without pay. It’s no wonder they’re quitting in droves, or that, as an NBC article yesterday reported, they’ve been reduced to things like selling blood and plasma-yes, blood and plasma-just to get by. And all of this, Mr. President, all of this because Democrats have been unwilling to consider anything other than what they think will serve them politically. Mr. President, Republicans are at the table. We’ve been at the table. Now it’s long past time for Democrats to get serious. How much worse do things have to get? How many more Americans have to suffer before Democrats do their jobs and work with Republicans to fund the government?

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