Podcast Summary: Consider This from NPR

Episode: Finding Common Ground as Another Funding Deadline Looms
Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Scott Detrow
Guests: Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-NY)

Overview

In this episode, Consider This tackles the recurring issue of Congressional funding showdowns—this time focusing on the looming deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) amidst heightened debate over restricting federal immigration agents following two deadly shootings. Host Scott Detrow brings together bipartisan voices—Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick and Tom Suozzi, co-chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus—to explore whether common ground still exists, what stands in the way, and how incremental solutions might be the only realistic path forward.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Stage: Deadlines, Optimism, and Partisan Rifts

[00:01 – 01:57]

• The Immediate Crisis:

  • Congress faces yet another funding deadline for DHS.
  • Recent deadly shootings by federal immigration agents have intensified the debate over reform.

• Initial Optimism, Quickly Fading:

  • Early hope for cooperation from both parties, voiced by Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Patty Murray, begins to erode as the deadline looms.
  • “I think we can get to agreement. I certainly hope that’s true. But that optimism faded as we got closer to Friday’s deadline.” — Scott Detrow [00:30]

• Party Leaders Blame Each Other:

  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune blames Democrats for presenting a “laundry list of nonstarters.”
  • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calls GOP proposals “insufficient.”

• The Difficult Nature of Bipartisan Negotiation:

  • Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp reflects on how, after initial shocks, lawmakers retreat to partisan positions, making true progress difficult.

Inside the Room: Common Ground Exists—If Congress Can Claim It

[03:28 – 06:25]

• Guests Introduced:

  • Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) discuss the Problem Solvers Caucus and their bipartisan efforts.

• Surprising Agreement on Core Issues:

  • Both guests emphasize that at the policy level, there is more common ground than the public realizes.
  • “Both of us agree that the border needs to be secure. Both of us agree that we need to be humane and show compassion...in my communications with him, there's been no distance whatsoever.” — Congressman Fitzpatrick [04:42]
  • Suozzi concurs, adding, “There are a lot of Democrats and a lot of Republicans [who] could easily come to a way forward.” [05:17]

• The Real Obstacle: Political Extremes:

  • “The people that are most involved in politics these days...are often off at the extreme edges...We share more in common than what divides us.” — Congressman Suozzi [05:33]

Specific Sticking Points and Potential Paths Forward

• ICE and Enforcement Reform:

  • Discussion about necessary restrictions for how ICE operates in the U.S.—especially after recent, high-profile deaths.
  • “We certainly need to have restrictions on the way that ICE is operating now...these raids...are economically unwise, they're socially destructive, and they're morally wrong.” — Congressman Suozzi [06:25]

• Republican Perspective & What’s Feasible:

  • Fitzpatrick suggests the majority of House Republicans would privately agree with incremental reforms but are stymied by politics.
  • “The majority [agree]...But we’re not going to get to an agreement on all the things that need to be fixed with ICE in a week…it’s gonna take time.” — Congressman Fitzpatrick [07:15]

• Concrete, Incremental Solutions:

  • Fitzpatrick proposes linking short-term funding extensions to single, broadly agreed-upon reforms (like requiring body cameras for ICE).
  • “We do very, very short-term CR extensions that are always coupled with one reform…at least incrementally, we make that progress and we get to where we need to be.” — Congressman Fitzpatrick [08:31]

The Broader, Structural Challenge

• Polarization of Congressional Districts:

  • Scott Detrow notes districts are being pulled further apart, making bipartisan cooperation rarer and harder to sustain. [07:58]

• The Role of Public Sentiment:

  • Both lawmakers agree that most Americans side with moderate reforms and humane enforcement.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “When the shock wears off, then all of a sudden everybody goes back to their corners.”
  — Heidi Heitkamp [01:16]

• “We have to be people that are looking for solutions. I think we owe it to the people we serve to actually find that pathway forward.”
  — Senator Katie Britt [01:29]

• “We want to go after the gangs, we don’t want to go after the gardeners.”
  — Congressman Tom Suozzi [06:25]

• “We should all agree that the mask should come off. We should all agree on the need for body cameras 24/7.”
  — Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick [07:37]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01 — Episode opens, context on the DHS funding deadline and immigration debate.
• 01:16 — Heidi Heitkamp on partisan retrenchment.
• 01:29 — Senator Katie Britt on the need for solutions.
• 03:28 — Introduction of Congressman Fitzpatrick and Suozzi; Problem Solvers Caucus.
• 04:42 — Discussion: Where do bipartisan lawmakers differ (or not) on immigration?
• 05:33 — Suozzi on the dangers of political extremism.
• 06:25 — ICE reform after deadly shootings.
• 07:15 — Fitzpatrick on where most House Republicans are and political obstacles.
• 08:31 — Proposal for incremental DHS funding linked to singular reforms.

Conclusion

Even as political polarization intensifies and deadlines loom with real-world stakes, this episode demonstrates that there is underlying bipartisan agreement on many core immigration issues. Yet, institutional inertia, the pull of political extremes, and district polarization complicate the translation of that common ground into actual policy. The pragmatic solution offered—incremental funding extensions coupled with specific reforms—highlights both the necessity and challenges of governance in a divided era.

“We share more in common than what divides us. Let's try and push that through.”
— Congressman Tom Suozzi [05:33]