Politics and views in the United States

Schumer calls for reforms to ICE so Dems can pass a funding bill, while some Republicans seem open to dealing with the DHS budget on its own. The chamber also considers tighter ballot restrictions in the SAVE Act and healthcare costs are burdening working Americans. 

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2026 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

Republicans must work with Democrats to find legislative solutions to restore order and public safety.

Congress has the authority and the moral obligation to act.

What's missing is Republican will to act.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York says Democrats want common sense reforms for ICE before approving Homeland Security funding.

He cites an end to masks and roving patrols, tighter rules on warrants, an enforced code of conduct, and body cameras that are turned on.

Democrats are blocking a multi-agency budget package that includes DHS after the killing of Alex Pretty and Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis this month.

Murata Waudah with the New York Immigration Coalition says ICE's victims deserve a tougher stance, not compromises with a federal agency that has, quote, "murdered people in the street" and depends on the cooperation of local police.

Senator Schumer must unambiguously call for ICE Border Patrol to get out of our cities, an end to racial profiling, and the cancellation of all 287(g) agreements between ICE and local law enforcement.

Some Senate Republicans say they would be willing to deal with DHS funding separately, which many Democrats could accept.

A partial government shutdown would begin Saturday if the agencies aren't funded.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Democrats should continue what he calls "productive talks."

Meanwhile, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act could come up for a Senate vote soon. requires proof of citizenship, typically a birth certificate or a passport when registering to vote or updating a registration.

Surveys show most Americans don't have a passport.

Thune backs the bill but says it needs some changes.

It includes right now a requirement that you be a citizen to register to vote, but it doesn't include a requirement that to vote you be a resident.

So in other words, if you're going to have what we call voter ID or photo ID when somebody goes into the ballot box to vote, that's not currently covered in the bill.

But voting rights watchdogs warn even legitimate votes could be questioned.

The FBI just raided a Georgia election warehouse storing ballots key to President Donald Trump's unsupported claims he actually won the state in 2020.

This month Trump said quote "people will soon be prosecuted for what they did during the election" that in spite of related claims repeatedly failing in court.

Congress has yet to take action on the health policy steps Trump proposed as ACA subsidies were expiring.

As expected, those sharply rising insurance premiums have priced millions out of coverage.

Allentown, Pennsylvania's Lynn Weedner says she works 80 hours a week as a caregiver, But without the enhanced ACA tax credits, her premiums went from $400 to $700 a month.

I have always made just a little bit too much money to get much assistance, but not quite enough to get by.

And so the tax credits are what was keeping the insurance affordable for me.

Meanwhile, a new report from the Independent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission finds federal overpayments to private Medicare Advantage plans could total $76 billion this year.

The commission blames coding practices, which make patients appear sicker than they are, and higher payments than needed for patient care.

I'm Edwin J. Viera for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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