Look, there’s no easy way to put it — this DHS fight is a pretty clear cave by Republicans, even if they are trying to dress it up as strategy. The original stance was firm: no funding without including ICE and Customs and Border Patrol. That was the line. And then, after a week of procedural games, late night Senate maneuvering, and a standoff with the House, they ended up agreeing to fund DHS without those pieces and deal with enforcement later through reconciliation. That is a reversal, plain and simple, and it happened after Democrats forced them into a position where they either had to bend or own the shutdown.
What makes it more striking to me is how it all played out. Senate Democrats did not want to take a tough vote, so leadership moved the deal through unanimous consent in the middle of the night with almost nobody present.
