Jeffries says ‘dramatic reform’ to DHS must precede vote to end shutdown

Published February 1, 2026 7:52pm ET



House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was adamant that the Department of Homeland Security will have to be “dramatically reformed” before the House passes funding for the agency.

Jeffries appeared on ABC News’s This Week on Sunday, days after the start of a partial government shutdown. The appropriations bill for DHS was the only one that was not passed as is, with senators agreeing on a two-week stopgap funding the agency while negotiations about reform play out. According to Jeffries, the decision to hold on passing the House version of the bill was “a meaningful step in the right direction” after two fatal shootings involving federal immigration officers in Minneapolis.

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