White House Puts New DHS Offer On The Table — Will Democrats Finally Budge?

The White House sent its Department of Homeland Security counteroffer to the United States Senate on Tuesday afternoon, after Democrats sent their own late Monday night – 18 days since the White House made its previous offer.

The letter sent to Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Susan Collins (R-ME) on Tuesday said that the Trump administration “will expand the use of body-worn cameras,” “limit civil immigration enforcement activities at certain sensitive locations” with a handful of exceptions, increase oversight of detention facilities, “enforce the use of visible officer identification” and other practices for officers who are not “undercover,” and “adhere to existing law and practice of not deporting any U.S. citizen and will convey current practice of not knowingly detaining a U.S. citizen, except when the person violates a state or federal law that makes the citizen subject to arrest.”

During an on-background call with reporters on Tuesday, a senior White House official said that “this offer is reasonable, it is serious, it is the product of work that has gone on since the shutdown began.” The Democrats are asking for major changes to be made, including the end of masking for agents and the use of judicial warrants.

READ: Letter sent by WH to Senate on DHS shutdown.@realDailyWire

Trump admin offers to
-expand body cameras
-limit civil enforcement at “sensitive locations”
-increase detention facility oversight
-“officer identification worn by officers will be clearly displayed.”

And… pic.twitter.com/6ZUlypxco5

— Cameron Arcand (@cameron_arcand) March 17, 2026

The shutdown started in mid-February over federal immigration enforcement tactics, especially in the aftermath of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, including the shooting death of Alex Pretti.

The Daily Wire previously reported that Britt’s office said that Democrats have been uncooperative in the process to get the department fully opened, even though most of the funding for Trump’s immigration priorities was already signed into law in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year. Britt is considered the lead negotiator for Senate Republicans on the topic.

However, impacts of the shutdown have been rippling through the country, most notably with long lines at the airport due to TSA agents calling out or leaving the job, as they are required to work without pay. There have also been mounting national security concerns related to the shutdown amid Operation Epic Fury in Iran.

Democrats have argued that Senate Republicans have blocked legislative proposals to fund agencies like TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard without completely reopening DHS until a deal is hashed out.

“Right now, Republicans are holding TSA agents’ paychecks hostage because they want to provide more money to ICE, without basic reforms to protect Americans’ rights and safety,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement last week. “Democrats will keep fighting to get TSA workers paid and fund FEMA and the Coast Guard, and we’ll keep pushing to enact common-sense steps to prevent more Americans from being hurt, or even killed, by masked federal agents.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is the only Democrat in the chamber against the shutdown effort, pointing to the OBBA funding for ICE and CBP as rendering the closure pointless, but he’s noted that he still backs immigration enforcement reforms.