US House passes bill funding much of DHS, ending agency’s longest shutdown | House of Representatives
US House of Representatives approves most funding Department of Homeland Security – excluding immigration enforcement operations – and ending the longest government shutdown in history.
Thursday’s agreement aims to draw a line under a 75-day stalemate that has threatened and unleashed airport chaos. fresh strains within the Republican Party.
The Republican-controlled chamber passed in a swift vote. approved a bipartisan measure To fund much of the expanded department, including the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), that administration now turns to Donald Trump to sign it into law.
But the legislation falls short of covering key immigration enforcement arms like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), leaving the fiercest battle over Trump’s deportation agenda for another day.
The vote came after days of mounting pressure on House speaker Mike Johnson, whose slim majority has repeatedly failed to break the deadlock. Although the Senate unanimously passed the package weeks ago, the bill has languished in the House as conservative Republicans demanded that any funding deal be tied to a long-term plan to finance the White House’s crackdown on immigrants.
That broader strategy began taking shape Wednesday when House Republicans passed a budget resolution that would provide $70 billion for immigration enforcement through a separate process and without Democrats. The maneuver, which was approved by a margin of 215-211, opened the door to the implementation of a narrower internal security measure a day later.
The White House has raised the bar sharply in recent days, warning that the emergency funds transferred by Trump to protect the salaries of front-line staff are about to run out. In a stern statement sent to members, management and budget office He said the department “will soon run out of critical operating funds,” putting essential personnel and national security operations at risk.
The warning shook Washington because it came amid fears of disruption at airports. More than 1,000 TSA officers have reportedly resigned since the shutdown began in February, while airline executives have warned that staffing shortages could cripple travel unless Congress acts.
“It’s fucking time” Rosa DeLauroThe senior Democrat on the House appropriations committee told The Associated Press after the measure was finally approved by the chamber, expressing disappointment that the legislation, introduced more than two months ago, was being held hostage by Republican infighting.
Democrats had refused to provide fresh funding to immigration enforcement agencies without reforming detention and deportation policies, especially after public outrage over the deaths of US citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
“We know there are reforms that need to be made at ICE and CBP to rein in the abuses that we’re seeing,” Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the budget panel’s top Democrat, told the AP.
Republicans, on the other hand, accused the opposition of playing politics with national security. Jodey Arrington of Texas, the budget committee chair, argued that Democrats were making “ridiculous and even dangerous demands.”
Although the immediate crisis has been averted, a deeper conflict over Trump’s harsh immigration program and the billions of dollars he wants to maintain it has only been postponed until the summer.
South Carolina’s Republican senator Lindsey Graham Published on social media platform X: “I am so grateful that the House passed the DHS funding bill sent by the Senate. This is a huge step forward in securing our nation and taking care of our people who care for us. To get the job done, Senate and House Republicans must pass reconciliation.”
