A counteroffer has been put forward by United States Democrats in an attempt to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
The shutdown, which began on 14 February, is a result of Democrats demanding significant changes to immigration law enforcement in the wake of two civilians being killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and nationwide protests.
The demands have been rejected by the Trump administration so far, resulting in a departmental shutdown, which includes workers such as Transport Security Administration officers at airports, who are working without pay.
President Donald Trump took to social media overnight to blame the Democrats for a “purposeful DHS shutdown”, causing “chaos at the airports”.
An anonymous White House official reported that the latest proposal was now being reviewed by the White House.
The previous month has seen negotiations between the administration and Congressional Democrats, with both parties hoping to avoid airlines being impacted if TSA employees refuse to show up for unpaid work or leave the job completely, but so far no agreement has been reached.
