Senate Democrats blocked a last-minute attempt by Republicans to end the Homeland Security shutdown after the GOP rejected their «unserious» counteroffer. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., forced a vote on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill after swiftly killing Democrats’ offer earlier Wednesday afternoon. He accused their latest counter as «not even close to being real.» 

«They know better,» Thune said. «They’re asking for things that have already been turned down. So it just seems like they’re going in circles.»

The spur-of-the-moment test vote on Wednesday was designed to see whether Republicans could splinter any support from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats’ unified front to support their own framework to reopen the agency, which Democrats already rejected on Tuesday. 

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But like the five times prior, the latest attempt was blocked by nearly every Senate Democrat.

Republicans are sticking by their initial offer, which would carve out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding in exchange for reopening other agencies under the Homeland Security umbrella, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), among others.

Republicans were already fuming that Democrats did not take the deal, noting that sidelining immigration enforcement funding was one of their key demands. They also charged that Schumer and his caucus were backing away from previously negotiated positions.

Still, Senate Democrats are pushing for stringent reforms to ICE, including requiring judicial warrants for agents and banning DHS agents from wearing masks. Those provisions were among nine total demands added to the GOP framework. Those asks, in particular, have been firm red lines for Republicans throughout the shutdown.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats rejected Republicans’ latest deal to reopen DHS and have promised a counteroffer with reforms in return.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Republicans have also consistently argued that if Democrats want reforms, they must be willing to fund immigration enforcement.

Schumer pushed back on the Senate floor shortly after announcing he had sent Republicans the latest offer, calling their accusations «bad faith» that «will only slow things down.»

«In fact, over the weekend, Democrats had constructive conversations in person with our Republican colleagues,» Schumer said. «They — the Republican colleagues — conceded that some of the reforms, verbally, that we have been looking for, they said these make sense.»

«We thought there might be a path forward on some of the ways to reform ICE and to get some of the things everybody knows ought to be in federal legislation,» he continued. «We thought there had been some progress. But then Republicans sent us their offer yesterday, and it contained none of what had been talked about.»

But Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, who was part of the White House meeting that produced the DHS framework, accused Democrats of «backing up.»

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Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, references a government shutdown sign while questioning Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., during his DHS confirmation hearing in the Dirksen building on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

«If you really want to cut to the chase — take all the [expletive] aside — here’s where we’re at,» Moreno said. «Democrats made an offer. Want to know what the offer is? They don’t want us to deport anybody who entered this country illegally or overstayed their visa unless that person committed a serious crime. That’s what they want. That’s obviously insane, because that’s the base that they deal with.»

Thune also argued that Republicans and the Trump administration have given Democrats much of what they wanted, including replacing former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem with newly confirmed Secretary Markwayne Mullin, ramping down immigration operations in Minnesota, and providing several other reforms.

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Some Democrats want additional guardrails on how funding in the GOP framework would be handled — specifically to prevent money from being shifted within the agency and redirected to immigration operations.

Thune said there could be some room for that concession but reiterated that Democrats’ other demands were «unserious.» He also said there was «no point» in Republicans offering another counterproposal.

«This is, honestly, retreading ground that we’ve been treading for weeks,» Thune said.

Las aerolíneas asiáticas aumentan sus rutas a Europa a raíz de la guerra

Israel confirmó que un soldado murió en un combate en el sur del Líbano

Atacan un petrolero operado por Turquía en el Mar Negro

Al menos dos muertos y tres heridos en Emiratos Árabes Unidos tras la interceptación de un misil

Las bolsas europeas vuelven al terreno negativo ante mensajes contradictorios sobre el fin de la guerra

Asciende a seis la cifra de heridos en los ataques de Irán contra Israel

El estrecho de Ormuz permaneció paralizado durante la tercera semana de la guerra

Un ataque iraní dejó dos heridos y causó daños en la ciudad israelí Kfar Qasim

FIRST ON FOX: Florida’s chief law enforcement officer announced Wednesday he will warn NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that the NFL’s longstanding «Rooney Rule» mandating interviews for minority and ethnically diverse candidates is illegal in the Sunshine State.

The rule, named for late Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who chaired the NFL’s Diversity Committee, went into effect in 2003 after Black coaches Tony Dungy and Dennis Green were fired the previous season despite strong win-loss records.

Attorney General James Uthmeier’s state hosts three teams — the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins — and the AG invoked the latter.

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«As a Floridian, I wish the Miami Dolphins well with their new head football coach. As Florida’s chief legal officer, however, I write with a word of caution to the NFL on its race-and-sex-based hiring policies,» he wrote in a letter to Goodell obtained by Fox News Digital.

Goodell must, in turn, confirm no later than May 1 that the NFL will no longer enforce the Rooney Rule or any variation of it or face civil rights enforcement actions.

«As applied in Florida, the NFL’s ‘Rooney Rule,’ which governs the hiring of certain team executives and coaches, brazenly violates Florida law. So, too, do the NFL’s related ‘diversity’ initiatives,» the letter adds.

Uthmeier told Fox News Digital the NFL drafts players based on merit and should do the same in the front office.

«NFL teams are not going to hire an offensive lineman based on his race. So, why should hiring for positions off the field be based on illegal DEI quotas?» he said.

«DEI is discriminatory and illegal. The NFL doesn’t get special treatment, and any business operating in Florida is required to comply with Florida law. Good coaches are judged on wins, not the color of their skin.»

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Pittsburgh Steelers owners Art Rooney II and Dan Rooney stand with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in Arlington, Texas, in 2011. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Uthmeier noted in his letter that expansions of the Rooney Rule now include women as a categorized qualifying minority and criticized provisions awarding third-round draft picks to teams that develop minority talent into GMs or head coaches as well as requiring the employment of a female or minority coach as an offensive assistant.

Uthmeier argued that Florida law bars employers from making hiring or workplace decisions based on protected characteristics such as race or sex, including any practices that could limit opportunities for certain groups.

«The Rooney Rule and its offshoots require precisely what Florida law forbids. They require teams to limit, segregate, and classify applicants for certain employment and training opportunities because of race and sex. And they do so in a way that tends to deprive applicants of opportunities for employment,» he wrote.

Trevor Lawrence (16) of the Jacksonville Jaguars scores a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

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Uthmeier told Goodell, «The Rooney Rule and its offshoots are illegal in Florida.»

Fox News Digital reached out to the NFL for comment.