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House Republicans Pass DHS Funding Bill, Senate Rejects, Shutdown Persists

House Republicans Pass DHS Funding Bill, Senate Rejects, Shutdown Persists
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House Republicans passed a two‑month stopgap bill to fund the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a 213–203 vote late Friday, March 27, after rejecting a bipartisan Senate plan — a move that left a 42‑day partial DHS shutdown unresolved as both chambers left Washington for a two‑week recess theguardian +2. The House bill, which restores funding for immigration enforcement agencies Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), was immediately declared “dead on arrival” in the Senate, virtually guaranteeing that TSA staff and other DHS workers will remain in limbo for weeks nytimes +1.

The clash hinged on immigration enforcement: the Senate had approved its own bill by voice vote hours earlier, funding most of DHS, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), but explicitly excluding ICE and Border Patrol operations to satisfy Democratic demands for reforms before restoring those funds cbsnews +1. President Donald Trump sided with House conservatives, denouncing any bill that would not fund ICE and signing a separate executive order directing DHS to pay TSA employees using previously appropriated funds, even as lawmakers failed to agree on a broader reopening newsnationnow +1.

Dueling Bills, One Shutdown: How the Plans Differ

The Senate measure, crafted by bipartisan negotiators and advanced in the early hours of Friday, aimed to quickly end the airport turmoil by funding TSA and a wide array of DHS missions while leaving immigration enforcement to a separate fight later cbsnews +1. Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged the House to accept the deal, arguing it had unanimous support in his chamber and could be enacted immediately, but House Republicans balked, calling it unacceptable to carve out ICE and Border Patrol newsnationnow +1.

Instead, Speaker Mike Johnson pushed through an eight‑week continuing resolution that funds all of DHS, including ICE and CBP, at current levels through roughly May 22, with only three Democrats crossing the aisle to support it nytimes +1. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer quickly warned that “a 60‑day CR that locks in the status quo is dead on arrival in the Senate,” signaling no appetite among Democrats to forgo leverage for immigration policy changes they have sought for weeks nytimes. With both chambers now adjourned until mid‑April, there is no procedural path to reconcile the conflicting approaches in the near term politico +1.

Immigration Fight vs. Security Fallout

Behind the impasse lies a hardening dispute over federal immigration enforcement, intensified by recent controversies involving ICE and CBP operations and high‑profile killings in Minneapolis that prompted Democrats to demand a package of reforms as a condition for full DHS funding nbcnews +1. Republicans, particularly in the House Freedom Caucus, framed the Senate approach as effectively “defunding” border security and pressed Johnson not only to restore enforcement money but also to attach unrelated priorities like voter ID requirements, further complicating negotiations nytimes +1. Trump amplified that stance, insisting “you can’t have a bill that’s not going to fund ICE” and backing Johnson’s decision to walk away from the Senate compromise newsnationnow +1.

On the ground, the shutdown’s toll has grown sharper: TSA absenteeism has surged, with call‑out rates reported above 11% nationwide and even higher at some major airports, contributing to long security lines and hundreds of officer resignations during peak spring‑break travel newsnationnow +1. While Trump’s order to pay TSA staff may soften the immediate blow, other DHS components remain constrained, and experts warn that prolonged uncertainty over pay and operations could erode morale and readiness across the department newsnationnow +1. Democrats accused House Republicans of prioritizing an immigration showdown over reopening a critical security agency, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries arguing that the Senate bill “has the votes to pass today” in the House if Johnson allowed a floor vote politico +1.

The Bigger Picture

The standoff underscored how immigration enforcement has become a central fault line in federal budgeting, with both parties willing to sustain a weeks‑long shutdown of a core security agency to preserve leverage over ICE and Border Patrol policy. With Congress gone until mid‑April and the House bill stalled in the Senate, the earliest realistic window for a resolution appears weeks away, leaving DHS to navigate a protracted funding crisis and millions of travelers to endure ongoing disruptions. Whether leaders return from recess ready to revisit the Senate’s narrower TSA‑first strategy, or double down on an all‑or‑nothing fight over immigration enforcement, will determine if this shutdown becomes an isolated episode or a template for future brinkmanship.