2025 threat index. In 2025, the U.S. Capitol Police investigated 14,938 threats to members of Congress, families, staff and the Capitol complex, a stunning 57% increase from 2024. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was attacked Tuesday night during a Minneapolis town hall. The alleged assailant was charged with assault. Omar finished her speech following the incident.
A reckoning. Senate Republicans returned to Washington remarkably clear-eyed about the dismal state of President Donald Trump’s harsh immigration crackdown. Now comes the hard part — navigating a procedural morass to rein in DHS and avert a government shutdown on Friday night.
The unusually adversarial posture from GOP senators has fueled an overwhelmingly bipartisan consensus that something needs to change after federal immigration agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday. It was the second such deadly shooting by federal agents and has sparked an intense national uproar.
So there appears to be a bipartisan will to get something done. The substance will be a challenge.
One of the major problems for Senate GOP leaders and the White House is procedural: Securing those reforms in legislation without triggering a partial government shutdown or forcing a volatile House to re-vote on the massive FY2026 funding package.
No sugarcoating. Even some of Trump’s closest Senate allies, who back the nationwide ICE operations, acknowledged the need for reforms, arguing that the crackdown is now harming public safety.
“We’re at a situation where this just isn’t safe,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said. “It’s not safe for anybody. It’s not safe for bystanders. It’s not safe for law enforcement.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) warned that the GOP is losing trust with the American public “on an issue that we should be winning on.”
Senators are racing against the clock, though, with just two days until funding runs out for the vast majority of the federal government. Senate Republicans and Democrats will meet separately for lunch today. The first procedural vote on government funding is slated for Thursday.
Despite the time crunch, there was a surprising bit of optimism from senators at the center of the current cross-aisle talks. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a top appropriator, said the discussion has been “constructive,” adding: “I think we should be able to land this.”
“Nobody has said, ‘That’s ridiculous,’” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said of her conversations with Republicans. “But the question is: Is there the will to actually make it happen?”
Procedural roadblocks. We asked several senators from both parties Tuesday night if they’ve heard ideas on how to codify DHS reforms without needing additional House action on the broader funding measure. None could spell one out.
Senate GOP leaders are facilitating conversations between senior Democrats and the White House in an attempt to determine whether any of the Democrats’ demands can be addressed without requiring Congress. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made clear on Tuesday that these reforms must be enacted into law because Democrats can’t trust Trump to follow through on executive action.
“We are going to offer very reasonable ideas,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who’s been rallying Democrats on the issue. “We understand the whole problem can’t be solved. But it’s going to have to be [legislative] language.”
“You cannot trust this administration,” added Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.). “My Republican colleagues need to grow a goddamn spine.”
As we noted Monday, Senate GOP leaders and the White House don’t believe House Republicans can pass the funding package again, which would be needed if the Senate revises the measure in any way. Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned that this would be a “risky proposition,” but said Saturday’s shooting was “an inflection point and an opportunity” to reevaluate DHS policies and procedures.
“There are some things that can be done,” Thune said, referring to DHS reforms. “But I think they probably can be done independent of having to put it into the language of the bill, and therefore requiring it to have to go back to the House.”
The Trump factor. The White House believes that Trump’s decision to “de-escalate” in Minnesota is a sign of good faith. Administration officials’ preference is for the Senate to craft a separate bill with DHS reforms while passing the funding package. With Trump’s imprimatur, officials believe they can get that second DHS-centric bill through the House. It will be a humongous lift either way.
But Senate Democrats are also very unlikely to have faith in Speaker Mike Johnson’s ability to get that second bill through the House, even with Trump’s backing.
In the meantime, Thune is still waiting for Democrats to formalize their list of proposed changes to the DHS funding bill. Thune and other Republicans noted that the measure already includes new money for body cameras, for example.
Another challenge is that stripping the DHS measure from the broader funding package would likely require unanimous consent, and some Republicans are reluctant to green-light a process that could lead to new restrictions on federal agents.
“There’s already reforms in it, so what else do you want?” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said. “What I’m not going to do is handcuff the agents from doing their job.”