Rep. Rosa DeLauro Talks What's Ahead as Congress Negotiates DHS Funding

WASHINGTON – With a critical funding deadline looming, Washington is bracing for another fiscal showdown, this time centered on the sprawling Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Lawmakers have just over a week to navigate a political minefield of immigration policy and federal enforcement to avert a partial government shutdown. At the heart of the Democratic strategy is Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, who is signaling a firm stance on party priorities as high-stakes negotiations intensify.

The impending deadline is the result of a "laddered" stopgap funding measure passed in January, which split government funding into two expiration dates. The first deadline, affecting agencies like Transportation and Veterans Affairs, is March 1. The second, and arguably more contentious deadline for DHS, is March 8. This sets the stage for a tense negotiation where fiscal policy is inextricably linked with the nation's most divisive political issue: the southern border.

DeLauro and the Democratic Position

As the lead negotiator for House Democrats on spending, Rep. DeLauro's perspective provides a clear window into her party's objectives. She is tasked with securing a funding package that reflects Democratic values while finding common ground with a House Republican majority demanding a sharp rightward turn on immigration enforcement.

In recent discussions, including an interview with NPR, DeLauro has outlined a strategy focused on smart, effective, and humane solutions rather than what Democrats view as purely punitive measures. Their approach can be broken down into several key pillars.

• Humanitarian Investment: Democrats are pushing for robust funding for humanitarian efforts. This includes resources for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local governments that provide shelter, food, and transportation for recently arrived migrants. They argue this is essential for maintaining order and preventing a humanitarian crisis in border communities.

• Efficient Processing: A central tenet of the Democratic platform is to increase the capacity and efficiency of the U.S. immigration system. This means more funding for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to hire additional asylum officers and support staff, aiming to reduce the multi-year backlog of asylum cases that currently plagues the system.

• Technology Over a Wall: While Republicans champion a physical border wall, Democrats are advocating for a "smart wall" approach. This involves significant investment in advanced technology, including high-tech sensors, surveillance drones, and enhanced scanning equipment at official ports of entry to intercept illicit drugs like fentanyl.

• Alternatives to Detention: Rather than expanding the number of detention beds, a costly and controversial measure, Democrats are looking to bolster funding for Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs. These programs use GPS monitoring and check-ins to track migrants awaiting their court dates, which proponents argue is more cost-effective and humane.

A Contentious Political Backdrop

These negotiations are not occurring in a vacuum. They follow the collapse of a bipartisan Senate border security deal, which was declared "dead on arrival" by House Republican leadership. That failed compromise has only hardened positions on both sides.

House Republicans, under pressure from their right flank, are leveraging the DHS funding bill to demand policy changes similar to those in H.R. 2, their signature border security bill passed last year. This bill, which has no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate, includes provisions to restart border wall construction, severely restrict asylum eligibility, and end the "catch and release" policy.

• Republican Demands: The GOP is focused on channeling funds toward physical barriers and increasing the number of Border Patrol agents. They are also seeking to attach "policy riders" to the funding bill that would force the Biden administration to implement stricter immigration policies.

• The Fentanyl Crisis: Both parties agree on the need to combat the flow of fentanyl, but they disagree on the method. Republicans argue that a more secure physical border is the answer, while Democrats emphasize funding for better screening technology at ports of entry, where the vast majority of the drug is seized.

• Pressure from a Divided Government: With a slim Republican majority in the House and a Democratic majority in the Senate, any final bill must be a product of bipartisan compromise. This gives figures like DeLauro significant leverage to block purely partisan proposals from the House GOP.

The Financial Battlegrounds

The DHS budget is a massive, multi-billion-dollar portfolio, but the current fight is concentrated in a few key areas within the department.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP): This is ground zero for the debate. The fight is over how to allocate funds: for hiring thousands of new Border Patrol agents and building miles of wall, as Republicans want, or for investing in technology and hiring more CBP officers to facilitate trade and processing at ports of entry, as Democrats prefer.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): Negotiations here center on the number of detention beds. Republicans want to increase funding to detain more migrants, while Democrats aim to cap or reduce that number and redirect funds to the aforementioned ATD programs.

FEMA's Shelter and Services Program (SSP): This program, which provides grants to communities and NGOs assisting migrants, is a major target for Republicans, who want to defund it entirely. DeLauro and the Democrats see its funding as non-negotiable for managing the humanitarian situation.

What's Next

As the March 8 deadline approaches, the path forward remains uncertain, with several potential outcomes.

1. A Compromise Agreement: Negotiators could strike a deal on a full-year funding bill for DHS. This would likely involve modest increases for some GOP enforcement priorities in exchange for robust funding for Democratic humanitarian and processing goals, while stripping out the most controversial policy riders.

2. Another Short-Term Extension: If a deal remains out of reach, Congress could pass another Continuing Resolution (CR) for DHS, pushing the deadline back by a few weeks or months to continue negotiations. This is often seen as the path of least resistance but prolongs uncertainty.

3. A Partial Shutdown: Failure to pass any measure would result in a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. While essential personnel like Border Patrol agents and TSA officers would continue to work without pay, administrative functions, including the processing of immigration applications and pay for all staff, would be frozen, injecting chaos into an already strained system.

For Rep. DeLauro and her counterparts, the coming days will be a test of political will and legislative skill. The outcome will not only determine the operational capacity of the nation's security and immigration apparatus for the remainder of the fiscal year but will also send a powerful political message heading into the 2024 election.