The U.S. Senate passed legislation in the early hours of Friday to fund the majority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), paving the way to end a prolonged partial government shutdown. This shutdown had caused chaos in airport security and threatened to have ripple effects on the U.S. economy, which is already impacted by the conflict involving Iran.
The bill still requires passage in the House of Representatives and must be signed by President Donald Trump to become law. This move signifies a sudden shift in the Republican party's stance, following weeks of obstruction against similar funding proposals for the department put forward by Democrats. The Senate approved the bill via a voice vote.
Democrats had previously proposed funding most of the DHS but sought to exclude the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), stating they wanted to impose greater restrictions on immigration enforcement alongside funding for these agencies.
However, the deadlock was broken under pressure from historically long queues and wait times at airport security checkpoints across the nation. A significant number of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees, who were working without pay, called in sick or resigned outright, forcing lawmakers to find a swift resolution.
Affected airports included those in Atlanta, Houston, and New York. Passenger lines snaked through terminals, baggage claim areas, and in some cases extended outdoors, with frustrated travelers complaining of excessive wait times and potential missed flights.
Since February 14th, the DHS has been operating without its regular funding, leading to multiple instances where TSA personnel and other federal workers and contractors went unpaid during the standoff. More than 480 TSA employees resigned during the funding lapse.
On Thursday, Trump alleviated some pressure on lawmakers by announcing he would sign an executive order to pay TSA officials, aiming to ease airport chaos. He plans to allocate funds from the 2025 tax and spending bill to cover these salaries. This unusual step bypasses Congress, which typically holds broad authority over the federal budget and agency expenditures.
Democrats are exiting the DHS funding debate without achieving the immigration enforcement policy reforms they sought. Meanwhile, Republicans face a high-stakes battle: they must now secure funding for their immigration agenda alone through subsequent partisan budget bills, with very little room for error.
Nonetheless, Democrats secured some victories: federal immigration raids in Minneapolis were called off following an incident where federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens, and Trump ultimately dismissed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
In a statement, Washington Democratic Senator Patty Murray said, "Finally, Republicans have relented. We are now moving towards funding areas of bipartisan agreement, ensuring TSA personnel get paid, getting airports running smoothly again, and providing essential funding for disaster relief and cybersecurity work."