Democrats have demanded that Homeland Security require ICE agents to wear body-cams and refrain from wearing face-masks, as well as to stipulate the end of roving patrols before the lawmakers will support providing funding for the entire agency. 

“We are not asking for the moon. We are asking for basic steps to protect Americans’ constitutional rights—and their safety,” said Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. 

A vote failed to bring the full bill to the floor after the Democratic proposal also failed. Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) called the Democratic proposal “unserious” and said on the Senate floor March 9, “Democrats want to fund the parts of the Department of Homeland Security that they like, and keep the rest shut down indefinitely.”

However, with President Donald Trump’s firing of Secretary Kristi Noem, effective the end of March, following a disastrous March 3 hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Sen. Thom Thillis (R-N.C.) called for her ouster, some lawmakers are hopeful a deal can be reached in coming weeks, according to news reports. 

But Trump has added another wrinkle by stating that he will not sign any legislation until the Senate passes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, which would require voters to provide evidence that they are American citizens before being able to cast ballots in elections.  

The White House formally sent the nomination on March 10 to the Senate for Noem’s replacement, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), with a confirmation hearing scheduled for March 18.