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By Toby Meyjes and Aliss Higham
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The Senate unanimously agreed to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) early Friday, moving a step closer to ending the partial government shutdown that has seen long waits form at security at airports across the United States.
Why It Matters
Republicans and Democrats advanced the deal which would fund most of the DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. The deal was approved by voice vote shortly after 2am, with the House now set to vote as early as Friday.
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The move came hours after President Donald Trump signed an emergency order directing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees with the aim of ending the "chaos at airports".
A partial government shutdown has left tens of thousands of TSA officers working without pay, triggering staffing shortages and hours-long security lines at some airports. Last week, Trump announced that ICE agents would be sent to airports to assist TSA officers.
What To Know
The agreement follows an impasse that stretched for weeks. Democrats had refused to vote for a spending bill without significant reforms to ICE enforcement practices, following the deaths of two American citizens in Minnesota in January.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Friday described the outcome as “unfortunate", in quotes reported by Politico.
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“The Dems wanted reforms. We tried to work with them on reforms. They ended up getting no reforms but, you know, we’re going to have to fight some of those battles another day,” he said.
“Senate Democrats were clear: no blank check for a lawless ICE and Border Patrol,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in quotes reported by multiple media outlets.
“Democrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump’s rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms.”
He added: "This long overdue agreement funds TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA, CISA, strengthens security at the border in the ports of entry, and keeps Americans safe."
ICE and CBP can continue to operate using the remaining funds from the nearly $140 billion windfall provided by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which far exceeds the $28 billion the two agencies were originally approved to receive for the current fiscal year.
“The good news is we anticipated this a year ago,” Thune said, per CNN. “I mean, one of the reasons we frontloaded, pre-loaded up the one, big, beautiful bill with advanced funding for Homeland Security was because we anticipated this was likely going to happen, and it did.”
What People Are Saying
Minority Leader Schumer said: "Democrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump’s rogue and deadly, deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms, and we will continue to fight for those reforms. I’m very proud of our Democratic caucus. Throughout it all Senate Democrats stood united. No wavering, no backing down. We held the line.”
Majority Leader Thune said regarding the bill moving to the House: "The House is aware of what we’re contemplating, I think, and I — think they’re probably anxious to take this up any more than, you know, this time of the day, on a Friday, but hopefully they’ll be around and we can get at least a lot of the government opened up again, and then we’ll, we’ll go from there."
President Donald Trump said prior to the passage of the legislation in the Senate: "Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do! Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports."
What Happens Next
The House of Representatives can either take up the Senate-passed measures in the Rules Committee, debating and advancing them to the floor for a simple majority vote, or Republican Speaker Mike Johnson can bring them forward under suspension, which requires a two-thirds vote in the House to proceed.
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