WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 A disruption in reimbursements to states for disaster relief costs. Delays in cybersecurity response and training. And missed paychecks for the agents who screen passengers and bags at the nation\u2019s airports, which could lead to unscheduled absences and longer wait times for travelers. <\/p>\n
Those were just some of the potential ramifications of a looming funding lapse<\/a> at the Department of Homeland Security, according to officials who testified before a House panel on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Congress has approved<\/a> full-year funding for the vast majority of the federal government, but it only passed a short-term funding patch for the Department of Homeland Security that extends through Friday. In response to the killing<\/a> of two American citizens in Minneapolis and other incidents, Democrats have insisted that any funding bill for the department come with changes to immigration enforcement operations. <\/p>\n A Homeland Security shutdown appeared increasingly likely on Wednesday, the second day in a row with little apparent progress in negotiations between Democrats and the White House. Democrats are demanding new curbs on ICE including better identification, the use of judicial warrants and an end to racial profiling, among other asks. They are still waiting to hear from the White House after rejecting an initial offer late Monday night from the administration as \u201cincomplete and insufficient.\u201d<\/p>\n As the two sides remained far apart, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., urged Democrats and the White House to find agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s important that the people at the negotiating table double down, sharpen their pencils and strike a deal,\u201d Thune said.<\/p>\n Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he was at the White House late Wednesday and the administration \u201cis sending over a few terms.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very hopeful that can be worked out,\u201d Johnson said, adding that he put House Republicans on notice to expect a vote Friday to keep Homeland Security funded.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Republicans are emphasizing that a Homeland Security shutdown would not curtail the work of the agencies Democrats are most concerned about. Trump\u2019s tax and spending cut bill passed last year gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement about $75 billion to expand detention capacity and beef up enforcement operations.<\/p>\n \u201cRemoval operations will continue. Wall construction will continue,\u201d said Rep. Mark Amodei, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security.<\/p>\n Rather, agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Secret Service, Coast Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency would take the biggest hit, he said. Officials from those agencies appeared before the House subcommittee to explain the potential impact of a Homeland Security shutdown.<\/p>\n Rep. Henry Cuellar, the ranking Democrat on the panel, said the tragic loss of two American citizens in Minneapolis \u2014 Renee Good and Alex Pretti \u2014 should concern every lawmaker. He said that strong borders and a respect for human life are not competing values.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen enforcement actions lead to outcomes like that, we have an obligation to ask the hard question and to make sure our laws and policies are working as intended,\u201d Cuellar said.<\/p>\n He said on Homeland Security funding that \u201cwe were almost there. We were there, Democrats and Republicans and everybody, but the second shooting brought different dynamics. I think we can get there to address that.\u201d<\/p>\n Essential work continues<\/p>\n About 90% of the department\u2019s employees would continue working in a shutdown, but they would do so without pay. Vice Admiral Thomas Allan of the U.S. Coast Guard said law enforcement and emergency response missions continue during a shutdown, but that the possibility of missed paychecks creates significant financial hardships.<\/p>\n \u201cShutdowns cripple morale and directly harm our ability to recruit and retain the talented Americans we need to meet growing demands,\u201d Allan said.<\/p>\n Ha Nguyen McNeill of the Transportation Security Administration shared a similar concern. She estimated about 95% of the agency\u2019s 61,000 workers would continue to work, but potentially go without a paycheck depending upon the length of a shutdown. She noted that they just went through a lengthy shutdown last fall. <\/p>\n