Consider This from NPR Finding common ground as another funding deadline looms
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Feb 12, 2026 
Tom Suozzi, a New York congressman focused on immigration and centrist solutions, and Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania congressman known for bipartisan approaches and national security, discuss the looming DHS funding deadline. They explore areas of agreement on humane enforcement, ICE restrictions after a shooting, and short-term funding with targeted reforms. The conversation centers on practical, incremental paths to compromise.
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Shared Goals Mask Political Gridlock
- Republicans and Democrats share core goals on immigration: secure border, humane enforcement, and separating violent offenders from nonviolent undocumented people.
- Political polarization and district-level incentives, not policy disagreement, largely block bipartisan progress.
Extremes Crowd Out Compromise
- Extremes in the political base drive negotiation breakdowns and pull parties away from practical compromise.
- Problem Solvers Caucus members try to push colleagues toward incremental, bipartisan fixes despite a toxic environment.
A Tipping Point Alters Political Pressure
- The recent killing of Alex Letal? Alex Petty? acted as a tipping point intensifying scrutiny of ICE and Border Patrol raids and tactics.
- That public outrage creates pressure for operational restrictions even among officials who broadly support border security.