Democrats pushed ahead Wednesday with a $42.8 billion homeland security budget that keeps alive the goal of closing Guantanamo someday while preserving President Barack Obama’s discretion — in the interim — to bring detainees into the United States for short periods to stand trial.

Little else of consequence is permitted until the president comes up with a plan acceptable to lawmakers for the future of the detention facility, but going even this far could be risky, given the given political nervousness in Congress.