The Senate voted overnight to fund large portions of the Department of Homeland Security after a 42-day standoff over immigration enforcement tactics. The legislation, which does not include funding for the department’s principal immigration enforcement operations, now goes to the House for a vote.
The funding lapse forced tens of thousands of DHS employees to work without pay or to leave their jobs, and caused long waits at some airports during peak spring-break travel. Democrats refused to back full DHS funding amid objections to tactics used by federal officers and pressed for reforms after the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal officers in Minneapolis.
The package approved by the Senate allows funding for operations such as the Transportation Security Administration and emergency response divisions while preserving Democratic demands for change to immigration enforcement. Some Democrats warned that accepting the split package could weaken their bargaining leverage.
DHS has operated without regular appropriations for more than a month. Some divisions, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have continued functioning because of roughly $75 billion provided by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, while others, including TSA, have had employees working without pay. TSA acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeil told lawmakers that absences have reached as high as 40% at some airports and that more than 480 TSA officers quit during the funding lapse.
“We are really concerned about our security posture and what the long-term impacts of this shutdown is going to have on the workforce and our ability to carry out this mission,” McNeil said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said House Republicans oppose breaking up DHS funding and called it “shameful” to fail to fund the agency. It remains unclear how the House will respond to the Senate agreement.