politics

House Democrats found themselves in the familiar position this week of seething at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for negotiating a deal with Republicans to keep the government funded.

Why it matters: While his caucus remains behind him, Schumer is becoming persona non grata for much of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

"I'm gonna continue to tell you that Schumer needs to get the hell out over and over and over until he does," Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) told Axios. "He continues to demonstrate to us that he can't meet the moment," she added. Another House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer insights into private conversations among lawmakers, told Axios: "The main feeling among members is a lack of trust in his strength and ability to strike a hard bargain." State of play: The House voted Tuesday to pass an appropriations package that funds the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, State and Transportation until September.

It also keeps the Department of Homeland Security funded at 2025 levels until Feb. 13, which is meant to give Senate Democrats and the White House enough time to hash out a final deal on ICE and Customs and Border Protection reforms. But while Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have said they won't accept anything short of reforms of those agencies, their GOP counterparts have cast doubt on the prospect of a quick deal. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) went so far as to tell reporters that a deal by Feb. 13 was an "impossibility," floating a year-long stopgap funding bill to keep DHS open. What they're saying: Jeffries has essentially threatened to allow a DHS shutdown if his demands aren't met, saying in a statement Tuesday, "Absent bold and meaningful change, there is no credible path forward with respect to the Department of Homeland Security funding bill next week."

But Schumer, asked if he would make the same ultimatum at a press conference with Jeffries on Wednesday, told reporters, "I'm just going to say we're sending them a proposal and we await their response." Senate Democrats — unlike their House counterparts — have the ability to block a DHS funding bill because it takes a 60-vote majority to pass it in the upper chamber. What we're hearing: Some Democrats, worried that the threat of a DHS shutdown is not enough to force Republicans to the table, feel Schumer gave up the party's best leverage by cutting a deal to reopen the rest of the government.

"Every time that we are winning, we seem to somehow sabotage [it]," Ramirez fumed, noting that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has already ruled out several Democratic demands.

Said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.): "Personally I was of the opinion ... that, 'What are we going to get in 10 days that we didn't get?'" A second House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Axios that "all those spending bills, that is the most leverage," and that "many folks in the [House] Democratic caucus wish that we had more confidence in Schumer's ability to navigate a good, tough deal." Yes, but: Some progressive House Democrats are still confident that the DHS bill is enough leverage to secure some concessions.

"I don't think Republicans want a DHS shutdown," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told Axios. She added: "If Donald Trump wants to ... issue the State of the Union with the entire Department of Homeland Security shut down, I think that is a terrible indictment of his leadership. And I do think they care." Jayapal and Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) both argued that public opinion against ICE is another piece of leverage for Democrats, with García telling Axios: "They 'ought to be worried how their policies are faring with the American people." The bottom line: "It could be a huge failure" for Senate Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez says, if they fail to secure the reforms the party are demanding.

"The stakes are quite high."