Finding common ground as another funding deadline looms

Summary

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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]

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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.

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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]

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Transcript

[Scott Detrow]

Congress is approaching yet another Friday funding deadline. This week's sticking point, guardrails for federal immigration agents after two deadly shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. The stakes? Funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The path forward? Well, that is the multi billion dollar question. At first, top lawmakers seemed optimistic about finding common ground, from House Speaker Mike Johnson to leading Senate Democrats like Patty Murray. I'll be doing everything I possibly can to ensure that we meet this moment and so 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. Their immediate rejection of the Democrats common sense proposals was totally predictable. Such a short timeline would be challenging, if not impossible. That was Senate Majority Leader John Thune. He says Democrats dawdled and then produced a laundry list of non starters, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who we also heard from, called Republicans offer insufficient. Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat, spent hours in rooms with senators trying to resolve a standoff over the debt ceiling. And she says bipartisan negotiations have always been a high wire act, particularly amid a national crisis. You know, when the shock wears off, then all of a sudden everybody goes back to their corners. Republican Senator Katie Britt of Alabama is helping lead the current negotiations. She says she's thinking a lot about the public's trust. Anybody can identify a problem.

[NPR Host/Announcer]

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.

[Scott Detrow]

Britt helped strike a deal with a handful of Democrats that voted to end the last big shutdown, including Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. Kaine says he still believes bipartisan action is possible, but that it's really hard.

[Congressman Tom Suozzi]

On health care, on immigration, the parties are in fundamentally very, very different places.

[Scott Detrow]

Kaine says he goes into negotiations like this with high hopes but low expectations. Consider this is common ground between parties, really as narrow as it seems. After the break, we will hear from two congressmen, one Republican, one Democrat, who believe that they share more in common than what divides them. And they still believe in a path forward. From npr, I'm Scott Detrowed.

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Another funding deadline in Congress. Another partial shutdown could be on the way. How far will Democrats go in their fight for changes to immigration enforcement? Plus, Congress can now see the unredacted Epstein files. We're watching for signals of what they learn, the stories you need to know to start your day Every morning on Up First Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Scott Detrow]

It's consider this from npr. Top immigration officials are testifying on Capitol Hill this week, ahead of Friday's deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have refused to fund DHS without changes to how federal agents conduct immigration sweeps. And Republicans are reluctant to approve significant reforms to an immigration enforcement operation that they broadly support. So how can the parties find any common ground before DHS runs out of money? On Friday, we've invited two lawmakers, one from each party, to talk about all of this. Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York. Together, they co chair the Problem Solvers Caucus. They both penned a letter to the White House urging President Trump to take this moment to consider a broader, bipartisan fixed immigration and enforcement. Thanks so much to both of you.

[Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick]

Thanks for having us.

[Congressman Tom Suozzi]

Yeah, thanks, Scott.

[Scott Detrow]

Let me start with this. I'll start with Congressman Fitzpatrick, then turn to Congressman Suozzi. You both work together a lot. You talk about finding common ground, getting solutions. So I actually would love to start with what the biggest area you disagree on when it comes to immigration, when it comes to immigration enforcement. Because, I mean, that tells us a lot about the possibility of a deal. Congressman Fitzpatrick, let me start with you.

[Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick]

In terms of policy. Both of us agree that the border needs to be secure. Both of us agree that we need to be humane and show compassion when it comes to enforcement in the interior. Both of us agree that you have to separate out the dangerous violent offenders who pose a public safety threat from the people that are here in this country, undocumented, who have committed no other crime other than crossing the border. You know, Tom may disagree, but, you know, in my communications with him, there's been no distance whatsoever.

[Congressman Tom Suozzi]

Yeah, we don't, we don't disagree between the two of us. And I think there are a lot of Democrats and a lot of Republicans could easily come to a way forward to, as Brian said, to secure the border, to fix the broken asylum system, to legalize a bunch of people that have been here for more than nine years since President Trump first came into office. The problem is, is that the people that are most involved in politics these days, most passionate in politics, are often off at the extreme edges. So we have to do the hard work of functioning in what is a toxic environment to say, listen, we share more in common than what divides us. Let's try and push that through.

[Scott Detrow]

I want to start with the current issue before Congress, with the current funding bill that seems to expire on Friday. So the two of you seem to be mostly on the same page and saying there is a path forward here. I think it's clear to everybody that Congress as a whole is not necessarily on that page. And I'm wondering what you think the biggest challenge is, whether it's a short term deal, whether it's a longer term deal. What is the biggest sticking point? Is it the idea of any sort of restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol operating within the U.S. do you think it's something else?

[Congressman Tom Suozzi]

Well, we certainly need to have restrictions on the way that ICE is operating now. I think that we've really just hit a tipping point after Alex Preddy was killed. And, you know, I've long said that, you know, the president's right, we have to secure the border. The president's right, we have to deport violent criminals. The president's right, we have to go after violent cartels. But he is squandering any success he's had in that respect on these raids that are taking place that are really have been, I believe, illegal and immoral in many ways. And, you know, they're economically unwise, they're socially destructive, and they're morally wrong. And I think most Americans are leaning in the position, you know, we want to go after the gangs, we don't want to go after the gardeners.

[Scott Detrow]

So, Representative Fitzpatrick, everything that Representative Suozzi just said, how many Republicans in the House do you think would by and large agree with what he said?

[Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick]

Believe it or not, the majority. You know, the challenge, unfortunately, is politics gets in the way for a lot of these people. 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 not going to happen in a week. It's going to take time. It's going to take a lot of conversations, just like we had post George Floyd. But in terms of ice, we should all agree that the mask should come off. We should all agree on the need for body cameras. 24 7.

[Scott Detrow]

Well, I don't think the White House agrees on the mask question, though, and that feels like a pretty good question.

[Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick]

Well, listen, I'm speaking on my own behalf and I am also telling you the conversations that I have with many, many of my colleagues on the floor, they agree with that.

[Scott Detrow]

You are both saying things that I think you've polled the majority of Americans would agree with. Right?

[Congressman Tom Suozzi]

Yeah.

[Scott Detrow]

But we are living in a world where, you know, that the district, if anything, congressional districts are going the opposite direction as both sides get more and we want to fix that.

[Congressman Tom Suozzi]

One of the biggest problems we have.

[Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick]

Sure to fix that.

[Scott Detrow]

Sure. And you have seen immigration and ICE and Border Patrol enforcement become something that has terrified a lot of Americans, has become some of the biggest political crises we've seen in a long time. So I guess my question is, given the reality of the world we are facing right now, what do you both think the path forward is in this Congress for this issue that you both clearly care about?

[Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick]

I will answer that question. I think that for the immigration issue with DHS funding, which is the issue right before us right now, we do very, very short term CR extensions that are always coupled with one reform. Right. So what's the easiest reform that we can all agree on? Let's say body camps. Right. So how about we do a two week extension of DHS funding and we add that one reform and then if we want another two week or another month extension, we add another reform that we all agree to. That way, at least incrementally, we make that progress and we get to where we need to be.

[Scott Detrow]

That is Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York. They are co chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus. Thanks for talking to us.

[Congressman Tom Suozzi]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick]

Thanks.

[Scott Detrow]

This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Elena Burnett and edited by Christopher Intagliotta, Sammy Yenigun, Kelsey Snell and Nadia Lancy. It featured additional reporting by Sam Gringlas. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Scott Detrow.

[NPR Host/Announcer]

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