It is crunch time in Washington. With a potential government shutdown set to trigger Friday night, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has drawn a line in the sand. On Wednesday, he announced three specific requirements Democrats need to see before they will back a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Schumer told reporters that his party is united behind what he calls “common-sense” reforms. First, he wants to stop “roving patrols”—where officers drive through neighborhoods—and require tighter warrant rules before agents can enter homes.
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Second, he is calling for a universal code of conduct regarding how federal officers use force. Finally, he wants to ban officers from wearing masks while making body cameras and proper identification mandatory.
These demands come in the wake of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, an event that upended what was supposed to be a straightforward vote.
Schumer has stated clearly that he will block the larger funding package if the current DHS bill remains inside it, calling the current legislation “woefully inadequate” to stop abuses.
The goal for Democrats now is to strip the DHS portion out of the larger “minibus” spending package. This would allow Congress to pass funding for other agencies—like Education and Transportation—immediately, while using a short-term extension for DHS to buy time for negotiations.
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However, this move faces hurdles in the House, where Republicans like Rep. Chip Roy have suggested they might add their own amendments, such as cutting funding for sanctuary cities.
As the Jan. 31 deadline looms, the agents involved in the Pretti shooting have been placed on administrative leave, though calls are growing for an independent FBI investigation rather than an internal DHS review.
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