As the clock ticks down to another potential government shutdown, Democrats are gleefully eyeing the Republican Party's razor-thin congressional majority - and they're not afraid to use it as leverage.
With the GOP holding on by a mere single seat in the House of Representatives, the Democratic leadership is salivating at the prospect of extracting major concessions on immigration enforcement and border security before they'll agree to keep the government's lights on.
Shutdown Showdown Over ICE Reforms
At the heart of the standoff is the Democrats' demand for sweeping restrictions on the operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - a key pillar of President Trump's hardline immigration agenda. As CBS News reports, Democratic leaders have rejected the latest White House offer, dismissing it as "incomplete and insufficient" for failing to address "the concerns Americans have about ICE's lawless conduct."
The Democrats' wish list includes requirements for judicial warrants before agents can enter homes, clear identification for officers, limits on the use of masks, and an outright ban on racial profiling - reforms they say are necessary to rein in what they view as ICE's abusive tactics. But as Fox News notes, Republicans have pushed back, depicting the demands as "unrealistic and unserious."
A Precarious Majority
What this really means is that the Democrats, buoyed by the GOP's razor-thin majority, are willing to risk a partial government shutdown to extract these concessions. As TIME reports, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has made it clear that his party will not provide the votes to fund the Department of Homeland Security without new binding restrictions on ICE - a stance that could trigger a crisis if no compromise is reached by the end of this week.
The bigger picture here is that the Democrats sense an opportunity to dramatically reshape the immigration enforcement landscape, perhaps permanently, by exploiting the Republicans' tenuous grip on power. With just a single vote separating them from losing control of the House, the GOP can ill afford to alienate moderates or provoke a backlash from the public. And the Democrats appear more than willing to use that vulnerability to their advantage, even if it means risking a messy showdown that could disrupt government operations.
As bushibet recently covered, the outcome of this high-stakes battle could have far-reaching implications for the future of the Republican Party and its ability to pursue its hardline immigration agenda. For now, the stage is set for a dramatic showdown that will test the limits of the Democrats' newfound leverage.