A bipartisan deal to fund parts of the government and avert a shutdown later this week hit a delay over the annual Homeland Security Department (DHS) spending bill.
Initially planned for release Sunday, the package would have included five full-year funding bills covering the Department of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and State, alongside the Internal Revenue Service and general government and foreign operations.
Congressional leaders had prepped for a stopgap measure for DHS, seen as the most contentious funding bill in the bunch, as deep partisan divisions remain in Washington over the border and immigration crisis.
Republicans allege the timeline set for the package's release is lagging due to recent involvement from the White House.
A source with inside knowledge on the issue revealed to The Hill that part of the dispute is due to Democrats pressing for more funding for pay equity to the Transportation Security Administration, while Republicans argue for additional funds to bolster US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention and enforcement efforts.
The development follows remarks from a White House official, who told Politico on Sunday that Republicans wanted to "underfund DHS" after dismissing an offer from Democrats for an extra $1.56 billion in funding for border security.
Raj Shah, deputy chief of staff to Speaker Mike Johnson (R- La.), refuted the statements, voicing, "This statement from an unnamed White House staffer is misleading and counterproductive to reaching a bipartisan agreement to avoid a government shutdown."
"House Republicans will continue to work in good faith to reach consensus on the appropriations bills that reprioritize DHS funding towards enforcing border and immigration laws," Shah added.
Aaron Roth, a former senior DHS executive in the Coast Guard and TSA who currently leads the Federal Strategy practice at The Chertoff Group, said the persistent delays in passing a spending bill have become a "consistent theme."
"These delays have become a tumor that we've all come to expect," Roth told HNGN. And he lamented that the delays have become so prevalent that "DHS has gotten used to dealing with these issues."
Aasked about a White House aide commenting that the Republicans want to "underfund DHS," Roth said Republicans could coiunter that "we've been trying to turn the spigot off at the border for three years" and that in a presidential election year, the White House and Democrats suddenly want to "play ball" so they can score a "political win."
Congress has until Friday to pass the legislation to prevent several parts of the government from losing funding or risk its first partial government shutdown in years.
