WASHINGTON — The Senate passed funding for most of the Department of Homeland Security, including TSA, early this morning, but the measure did not include money for immigration enforcement operations.
It’s now up to the House to pass the deal, which the Senate approved unanimously. The shutdown has now lasted 42 days.
The vote comes after senators, including Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., Homeland Security Appropriations chair, spent much of Thursday behind closed doors hashing out possible solutions to end the gridlock ahead of their planned two-week Easter recess.
Periodically throughout Thursday, Britt was seen on the Senate floor talking with Democrats, including Sen. Chris Murphy of California and Brian Schatz of Hawaii, key players on the Democratic side of the debate.
On social media, Britt highlighted that “TSA officers have missed paychecks for almost 50% of the fiscal year—that’s unacceptable.”
Long TSA lines have become a common sight at airports across the country as the Department of Homeland Security funding lapse has lasted for more than a month.
The Senate agreement does not contain funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol. Democrats have insisted on reforms to parts of those two agencies before approving funding for them. They have been pushing to restrict federal immigration officers from wearing masks and to end administrative warrants.
Senate Democrats had tried to fund the DHS agencies that do not involve immigration enforcement throughout the shutdown, but Republicans rejected those efforts in favor of funding the entire department.
This week, as the two parties traded proposals back and forth, Republicans proposed funding all of DHS except for ICE’s enforcement and removal operations. But that wasn’t enough for Democrats, who refused to fund other parts of ICE and Border Patrol without changes.
For the third time, the House on Thursday passed legislation to fund the entirety of DHS through September. Alabama Republicans supported the measure, and the state’s Democrats opposed the bill, which did not include the ICE reforms Democrats have demanded.
U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, a member of the Homeland Security and Appropriations committees, told ADN that Democrats voting not to fund DHS is one of the “dumbest things I’ve seen since I’ve been to Congress.”
“ICE is out there protecting Americans from drug dealers, protecting (them) from murderers,” Strong said.
The congressman emphasized his concern that the shutdown would impact federal officers’ ability to prepare to secure major sporting events across the country.
“We’re sitting here with FIFA, World Cup, Olympics coming, and anybody that’s hired today to protect those events through Homeland will not be trained by the time that gets here,” Strong told ADN. “That’s unacceptable, and I think it’s a threat to the national security of America.”
U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, maintained his support for funding all parts of Homeland Security except for immigration enforcement operations.
“I think we should certainly be able to come to an agreement around getting funding to TSA and getting funding to those elements of DHS that need funding to continue operations,” Figures told ADN. “ ICE right now is not one of those. They have plenty of money to operate.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump last summer, provided $75 billion for ICE, allowing the agency to continue to pay its employees during the stalemate.
Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Birmingham, blamed all the issues that have arisen from the impasse, such as TSA lines, squarely on Democrats.
“I think my constituents are upset with the Democrats. We passed it,” Palmer told ADN, referring to the House-passed DHS bill. “Eventually, it’ll come crashing down on (Chuck) Schumer’s head.”
The House also voted mostly on party lines on a resolution honoring DHS workers during the shutdown. Alabama’s congressional delegation voted with their party. Nine Democrats joined Republicans to pass the ceremonial measure.
The lower chamber could consider the Senate agreement beginning Friday, but it could face challenges as conservatives have pushed to get the entire department funded, including immigration enforcement.
After the House votes on Thursday, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said his preference was for keeping all parts of the Homeland Security bill together.
“If they break away that subset, I suppose we have to fund it through reconciliation and find some other means,” Johnson told reporters.
Now, Republicans hope to use reconciliation, a process that allows the Senate to get around the 60-vote threshold, to pass funding for ICE and Border Patrol, as well as President Donald Trump’s other priorities.
The Senate deal could make Trump’s announcement of a national emergency to pay TSA employees moot if the House can also approve the agreement soon.