Democrats Abandon Law Enforcement and the Appropriations Process

After Democrats Abandoned the Regular-Order Appropriations Process, They’re Furious that Republicans Will Fund Law Enforcement Agencies

“Republicans are doing something that must be done quickly, and that our Democrat colleagues are trying to prevent us from doing. That something is simple: fully fund Border Patrol and ICE at a time of great threat to the United States. With this budget resolution, we are moving forward – not backward – on rational immigration policies that secure our border.” – Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

DEMOCRATS WALKED AWAY FROM THE BIPARTISAN APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DEFUND THE POLICE

Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) began threatening last summer that he and his caucus would not take part in the regular appropriations process: “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is warning Republicans they'll risk a government shutdown all alone,” telling Republicans not to expect “business as usual.” (Axios: GOP cuts trigger Democratic warnings on government shutdowns – 7/9/25; The Hill: Republicans fear Washington headed for shutdown after bruising spending fights – 7/21/25)

It was Democrats who, on multiple occasions, walked away from funding the entirety of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS):
- “Democrats won’t vote for ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] spending…” (Punchbowl News: AM: Reconciliation 2.0: Challenges, Opportunities and Tensions – 4/2/26)

- In January, following a bipartisan agreement to finish funding the government through regular appropriations, “Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee and key negotiator on the funding package, had been pushing her colleagues to vote for the homeland security bill.” (PBS News: Funding deal begins to unravel as Senate Democrats vow to oppose DHS bill over Alex Pretti shooting in Minnesota – 1/26/26)

- But Democrats reneged on their own offer, “including some who had helped Republicans end the record shutdown last year.” (PBS News: Funding deal begins to unravel as Senate Democrats vow to oppose DHS bill over Alex Pretti shooting in Minnesota – 1/26/26)

- After months of good-faith offers from Senate Republicans and the White House, Democrats kept moving the goalposts:
  - “Republicans, in response, said Democrats have moved the goal posts. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said Democrats should ‘quit moving around’ on DHS funding.” (CNBC: Republicans balk at Senate Democrats’ DHS shutdown counteroffer – 3/25/26)

- - “We literally offered what they asked for three days ago and then suddenly it’s like, oh no, now we got new stuff. This has been the story of the entire time. This has been the constant journey — one more thing, one more thing, one more thing.” – Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.)
“Democratic senators said… that there were still bipartisan talks ongoing. But Republicans, increasingly skeptical that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would ever cut a deal, signaled that they viewed the negotiations as effectively over.” (Politico: Senate agrees to end shutdown for most of DHS – 3/27/26)

In all, Senate Democrats blocked extending funding for DHS 16 times during their over 65-day shutdown and have refused to fund ICE and CBP through either the bipartisan appropriations process or through continuing resolutions. (Senate Majority Leader: Republicans Will Not Let Democrats Defund Border Security – 4/15/26)

“Senate Democrats have a warning for their Republican counterparts on Capitol Hill: If you go around the appropriations process and approve funding for parts of the Department of Homeland Security using a party-line budget process, we’ll do the same for our priorities once we’re back in power.” (NOTUS: Democrats Promise Payback as Republicans Sidestep the Appropriations Process – 4/15/26)

DEMOCRATS ARE RETURNING TO THEIR OLD WAYS: THEY COMPLETELY ABANDONED FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE BIPARTISAN APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS, NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO TRY IN 2024

Thanks to Senate Democrats, in 2024, “Congress drop[ped] the ball on annual spending bills” for FY2025: (Punchbowl News: AM: The appropriations mess rolls on – 7/31/24)

- In July 2024, “[t]he Senate Appropriations Committee… approved 11 of the 12 funding bills… But none of these bills have been to the floor yet.” (Punchbowl News: AM: The appropriations mess rolls on – 7/31/24)

- “[I]t means that all 100 senators don’t have a chance to shape the final product. That can only be done on the floor.” (Punchbowl News: AM: The appropriations mess rolls on – 7/31/24)

- Instead of bringing up appropriations bills for a vote, “Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer [embraced] the art of the ‘show vote’…” (Punchbowl News: AM: Are House Republicans setting themselves up to fail? – 6/5/24)

Senate Democrats’ 2024 failure followed a familiar track record of Democrat leadership neglecting appropriations during the course of President Biden’s entire term in office:
- In 2021, the Senate failed to pass a single FY2022 appropriations bill and only three of the 12 funding bills were even voted out of the Appropriations Committee. (U.S. Congress: Appropriations Status Table: FY2022 – accessed 4/21/26)

- In 2022, neither the Senate nor the Appropriations Committee passed a single FY2023 appropriations bill. (U.S. Congress: Appropriations Status Table: FY2023 – accessed 4/21/26)

- In 2023, despite the Appropriations Committee approving all 12 FY2024 appropriations bills, the Senate only passed three of them. (U.S. Congress: Appropriations Status Table: FY2024 – accessed 4/21/26)

And now, in the minority, Democrats have orchestrated the longest full government shutdown (43 days) and longest partial government shutdown (66+ days) in history. (CNN: A partial government shutdown has hit the Department of Homeland Security. Here’s what that means – 3/18/26; PBS: Trump signs government funding bill, ending record 43-day shutdown – 11/13/25)

WHEN DEMOCRATS WERE IN CONTROL, THEY USED RECONCILIATION TO FUND A LEFT-WING WISH LIST AND CIRCUMVENT REGULAR-ORDER APPROPRIATIONS. SCHUMER IS THREATENING TO DO SO AGAIN.

In 2020, House Democrats unveiled a $3 trillion spending package that was jam-packed with “a slew of liberal priorities left out of previous bills.” (Politico: Pelosi unveils $3 trillion coronavirus relief plan amid squeeze from left and right – 5/12/20; The Wall Street Journal: House Democrats Release $3 Trillion Bill to Respond to Coronavirus – 5/12/20)

- “[T]ucked into the legislation are provisions that rankled the Republicans, including expanding $1,200 checks to certain undocumented immigrants… a $25 billion rescue for the U.S. Postal Service, allowing legal marijuana businesses to access banking services and early voting and vote-by-mail provisions,” “$175 billion in housing support; student loan forgiveness…” (Fox News: House passes $3T coronavirus relief -- the most expensive bill in history – 4/15/20; The Washington Post: House Democrats pass $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill despite Trump’s veto threat – 5/15/20)

After Senate Republicans refused to take up Democrats’ “messaging exercise”
When Democrats took the majority in 2021, they went around the appropriations process to fund programs and agencies they prioritize:
- By “quickly cutting out Republicans to focus on passing the biggest bill possible on their own terms,” in 2021 with the $1.9 American Rescue Plan Act, Democrats “seized the opportunity to load up the bill with liberal policies they supported long before the advent of the coronavirus crisis.” (The Washington Post: Democrats’ messaging shifts as they pass Biden stimulus bill: From economic crisis rescue to poverty relief – 3/10/21)

- In 2022, Democrats appropriated a 10-year budget boost of $80 billion to the IRS via reconciliation in their so-called Inflation Reduction Act. (Republican Policy Committee: How the $80 Billion Democrats Gave the IRS Hurts Taxpayers – 9/27/22)

And now, “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is very bullish about his party’s chances of winning control of the Senate this year, isn’t ruling out a reconciliation bill that would boost appropriations for agencies Democrats view as priorities, including ones dealing with health care, education and climate.” (NOTUS: Democrats Promise Payback as Republicans Sidestep the Appropriations Process – 4/15/26)

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