House Freedom Caucus draws line on DHS, ICE funding as Minneapolis unrest fuels shutdown risk

FIRST ON FOX: House Freedom Caucus leaders are drawing battle lines in the federal funding fight as the threat of a partial government shutdown grows by the day.

Senate Democrats are threatening to sink a massive government spending bill — which would impact the Department of War, Department of Transportation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other offices — over its provisions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

If the legislation, which passed the House last week, fails to clear the Senate by the end of the day Friday, large swaths of the government could be forced to pause or reduce operations until an agreement is reached.

But leaders within the conservative House Freedom Caucus are warning they will not accept changes to ICE funding that’s included in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) portion of the package.

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In a letter sent to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the Freedom Caucus Board of Directors urged him to “ensure the Department of Homeland Security is funded fully along with all remaining appropriations bills — and not allow Democrats to strip its funding out to pass other appropriations separately.”

“We cannot support giving Democrats the ability to control the funding of our Department of Homeland Security,” the letter said.

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Conservatives are also calling on Trump to “use all tools necessary,” including invoking the Insurrection Act, to quell the unrest in Minneapolis.

“All Americans have the right to protest — including their right to speech and to bear arms consistent with our laws — but there is no right to thwart federal, state, or local law enforcement and the state of order among our citizens. The coordinated effort to stop law enforcement by politicians in Minnesota and around the country has caused chaos and led to the tragic deaths of two Americans in Minnesota. It must end,” the letter said.

Ongoing demonstrations in the Midwestern city — both over Trump’s immigration crackdown and the federal law enforcement-involved killing of two U.S. citizens there — have spurred Democrats in Congress to demand further restrictions on ICE before they could support any DHS funding bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrats are threatening to vote against the entire spending package unless it’s stripped of the DHS portion — meaning it would have to go back to the House for another vote.

But the Freedom Caucus’ letter is a clear signal that such a move is virtually guaranteed to fail in the House, where nearly all GOP votes will be needed to advance the package again.

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In fact, the conservatives are pushing Trump to explore other options to provide funding to other critical government agencies if Democrats dig their heels in.

“The House has passed an appropriations package negotiated and agreed to by Senate Democrats. The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” the letter said.

“If Democrats insist on reneging and shutting down the government, endangering Americans to side with criminal illegal aliens, the Freedom Caucus stands ready to take all steps necessary to fund government unilaterally — by supporting (a) changing the Senate rules to end the ‘fake’ filibuster threshold, (b) moving an emergency reconciliation bill to fund the departments of Homeland Security and War, and (c) efforts by the Executive Branch to transfer funding with maximum flexibility.”

Senate leaders have already signaled they’re against changing the filibuster threshold to make it so that a simple majority, not 60 votes, is needed to advance legislation.

It’s a stance that has caused some friction with Trump, who called on the Senate GOP to invoke the so-called “nuclear option” to end the filibuster during the prior 43-day government shutdown.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that the administration was opposed to Democrats’ demand to split off DHS funding.

At the same time, Trump has been having discussions with Democratic leaders in Minnesota in a bid to quell the chaos.