Senate Passes Deal to Reopen Most of DHS; ICE and CBP Funding Excluded
In a 3:00 AM voice vote, the Senate passed a bipartisan agreement to fund the vast majority of the Department of Homeland Security, moving to end a 42-day partial shutdown that has caused record-breaking delays at U.S. airports.
The breakthrough came shortly after President Trump announced an executive order to pay TSA workers using existing funds from last year’s legislative package, a move intended to bypass the congressional stalemate and address what he termed “Democrat Chaos” at travel hubs.
While the bill restores funding for the TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA, it excludes all funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and major portions of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Democrats had refused to fund these agencies without significant reforms following a controversial law enforcement incident in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated that Republicans intend to pursue funding for ICE and CBP through a separate, party-line reconciliation bill in the coming months, which would also likely include the President’s “Number 1 priority,” the SAVE America Act.
