Letters from an American January 29, 2026
20 snips
Jan 30, 2026 Discussion of Senate splits over DHS funding amid outrage about ICE and Border Patrol conduct. Coverage of Democratic demands for reforms like body cameras and independent investigations. Accounts of incidents that sparked public anger and reactions from former presidents. Reporting on investigations into 2020 election claims and a major lawsuit over leaked tax documents.
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Democrats Leverage Outrage To Split DHS Funding
- Senate Democrats used public outrage over ICE and Border Patrol violence to force DHS funding to be split from other bills for leverage.
- The split buys two weeks for negotiations on accountability measures for federal agents.
Make Funding Contingent On Specific Reforms
- Demand concrete reforms when negotiating funding for agencies implicated in abuses.
- Require warrants, coordination with local police, body cameras, no masks, and independent investigations as conditions.
Single Senators Can Hold Up Urgent Bills
- Internal Senate politics can stall bipartisan deals, with individual senators extracting provisions related to their interests.
- Lindsey Graham sought a carve-out allowing senators whose records were seized to sue the government for $500,000.