WASHINGTON — After promising an era of responsible governance and an end to federal shutdowns, congressional Republicans find themselves mired in an immigration fight that could cause funding for the Department of Homeland Security to run out on Friday.
It is a risky moment for the new congressional majority. A nasty partisan impasse over funding for a vital agency could damage the party’s brand just months after Republicans took power, and the impact could carry over into the next election cycle.
“I don’t think shutdowns and showdowns are the way to win the presidency in 2016,” said Representative Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican and a respected party strategist.
He and many other lawmakers still believe a last-minute resolution is possible, particularly given new terrorism threats, including one against the Mall of America in Minnesota.
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But the funding fight has tied the Senate in knots for weeks, preventing Republicans from moving ahead on other legislation they had hoped to advance.
As they brace for a possible shutdown, top Republicans say their colleagues need to embrace the reality that their new congressional majorities simply do not give them the power to force through provisions that Mr. Obama and Senate Democrats are dead set against.
“People demanding what can’t be done are making a political mistake,” Mr. Cole said.
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