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Dems, GOP Locked in Standoff Over ICE Reform, DHS Funding
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February 17, 2026
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8:43Now PlayingDemocratic Representative Dina Titus on Nevada said that in the standoff over DHS funding, the public backs the Democrats' position that immigration agents should be subject to the same rules as regular law enforcement officers. Titus also discussed her bill aimed at stopping prediction markets from skirting gaming laws, saying that if the markets move into sports betting they need to follow the same rules as other betting platforms.
The sputtering Congressional negotiation over ICE is just one example of how Capitol Hill’s repeated failures on major issues have helped marginalize lawmakers, empower presidents, and fan political tensions.
The inability to revamp the immigration system, despite multiple attempts over more than a decade, reflects lawmakers’ wider struggles to address many significant debates in lasting ways. Those chronic stalemates, in turn, have opened the door to unilateral actions by the White House, according to scholars who study the separation of powers.
The result: Wild policy swings every time the presidency changes hands, with partisan solutions that further inflame political divides. The unpopular and diametrically opposed immigration policies deployed by Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump in back-to-back terms demonstrate the ill effects.
Similarly, recent attempts to address the minimum wage, gun violence, climate change, and other issues have stalled out despite, in some cases, broad public agreement on potential solutions. Presidents have stepped in, often undoing the policies created by their predecessors.
Lawmakers have also for decades ceded power over tariffs and military action — leaving openings for Trump’s trade war and engagement in Venezuela, with little say from Congress or the public.
The pattern is one of the biggest consequences of a weakened Congress and emboldened executive branch, analysts said.
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