Shutdown brewing over DHS funding as deadline looms large

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 23: U.S. President Barack Obama addresses members of the National Governors Association at the White House February 23, 2015 in Washington, DC. Obama's meeting with the nation's governors comes just days before the Department of Homeland Security's $40 billion budget is set to expire. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Unless Congress acts this week, the Department of Homeland Security will run out of money on Friday.

It’s the first major fiscal deadline the newly GOP-controlled Congress will face as they continue to fight the White House of the President’s immigration policies. Senate Republicans are still weighing their options but would most likely support a short-term extension of funding DHS. They want to write language into the long-term funding bill that would block President Obama’s recent executive action on immigration as well as stop his 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

What are the short and long-term implications for Congress if they neglect to fund DHS? Who would shoulder the blame if another government shutdown were to occur?

Guest:

Karen Tumulty, national political correspondent for the Washington Post