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Senate Passes DHS Funding to Restart TSA, Coast Guard, Excludes ICE Boost

Senate Passes DHS Funding to Restart TSA, Coast Guard, Excludes ICE Boost
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The Senate voted unanimously early Friday to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security after a 40‑day shutdown, advancing a deal that would restart TSA, the Coast Guard and FEMA while pointedly withholding new money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and key Border Patrol operations politico +1. The measure, approved by voice vote around 2:20 a.m., now heads to a divided House where its fate — and the shutdown’s end — remains uncertain politico +2.

The agreement followed weeks of stalemate over immigration enforcement tactics that had shuttered large parts of DHS, triggered cascading airport delays and left tens of thousands of federal workers unpaid npr +1. President Donald Trump, who had alternately encouraged hard‑line Republicans and pressed for relief from travel chaos, said Thursday he would sign an order directing DHS to immediately pay TSA agents, easing some pressure but not resolving the broader funding fight nytimes.

What the Split-Funding Deal Actually Does

The Senate package restores funding for the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other DHS components, aiming to stabilize airport security and key disaster-response and cyberdefense functions politico +2. TSA absenteeism had climbed to as high as 40% at some airports, and more than 480 officers had quit during the shutdown, according to testimony from the acting TSA administrator npr.

In a notable concession sought by Democrats, the bill includes about $20 million for body cameras for immigration enforcement agents, but it leaves out fresh appropriations for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and parts of Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol units politico. Republicans argued those agencies could continue drawing on a “nearly $140 billion” funding cushion left from last year’s omnibus spending bill, far more than the roughly $28 billion originally anticipated for the current year, buying time for a separate fight over immigration enforcement politico. “We’re going to have to fight some of those battles another day,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, calling the outcome “unfortunate” for conservatives who wanted a broader win politico.

A Tactical Win for Democrats — with Big Risks Ahead

For Senate Democrats, carving ICE and Border Patrol out of the emergency package delivered on a core demand not to hand what Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called a “blank check for a lawless ICE and Border Patrol” after high-profile fatal encounters in Minnesota and other alleged abuses politico +1. They dropped sweeping reform conditions — including warrant requirements for certain raids and stricter limits on the use of masks — but preserved a chance to press for those changes when Congress turns to a standalone enforcement bill politico.

Republicans, however, signaled they may try to move that funding through a party‑line budget reconciliation process later this year, which would allow them to bypass a Democratic filibuster in the Senate politico. Sen. Eric Schmitt warned that what comes next could “supercharge deportations,” underscoring progressive fears that separating ICE and Border Patrol now will ultimately weaken Democratic leverage rather than strengthen it politico. The House adds another layer of uncertainty: Speaker Mike Johnson must decide whether to put the Senate bill on the floor under standard rules, risking a rebellion from conservatives who oppose the split, or seek a two‑thirds supermajority under suspension of the rules by leaning on Democratic votes nbcnews.

Looking Ahead

If the House adopts the Senate plan in the coming days, most of DHS would snap back into operation just as Congress leaves for a scheduled two‑week recess, ending a shutdown that had become a vivid symbol of Washington’s dysfunction politico +1. But the hardest choices — how aggressively to fund and constrain immigration enforcement — would merely be postponed, setting up another high-stakes clash later this year over ICE and Border Patrol that could define both border policy and the 2026 campaign debate.