Senate Votes to Fund Most of DHS in Bid to End Partial Shutdown

The Senate passed a bipartisan bill on Thursday to restore funding for most of the Department of Homeland Security, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, in an effort to end the partial government shutdown that has now stretched past 40 days and left tens of thousands of federal workers without pay.

The measure passed 72-28, with 18 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the legislation. The bill would immediately restore paychecks for approximately 35,000 DHS employees, including Transportation Security Administration officers, Coast Guard personnel, Secret Service agents, and FEMA workers who have been working without pay or furloughed since the shutdown began on February 14.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who helped broker the deal, acknowledged that the bill was an imperfect solution but argued that the severity of the disruption to airport security and other essential services demanded immediate action. The exclusion of ICE and Border Patrol funding was the price of Democratic support, with Senate Democrats insisting that immigration enforcement spending be negotiated separately from the broader DHS budget.

The legislation faces an uncertain path in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will not bring any DHS funding measure to the floor that does not include full appropriations for immigration enforcement agencies. Johnson called the Senate bill a capitulation to Democrats and said it would reward their obstruction of the president's border security agenda. The White House has not issued a formal veto threat but signaled deep reservations about the approach.

The stalemate centers on a fundamental disagreement about ICE funding levels and operational authorities. Republicans want to increase ICE's budget by $8 billion to support the administration's expanded deportation operations, while Democrats have demanded spending caps and oversight provisions that the administration considers unacceptable restrictions on executive authority.

The human toll of the shutdown has grown increasingly visible. TSA staffing shortages have caused security checkpoint wait times to exceed three hours at several major airports, prompting airlines to cancel hundreds of flights. The Coast Guard has suspended most non-emergency maritime operations, and FEMA has halted disaster relief payments to communities still recovering from last year's hurricanes. Secret Service agents protecting the president, former presidents, and presidential candidates have continued working without pay.

Several Republican senators who voted for the bill said privately that the airport security crisis forced their hand. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she could not in good conscience continue asking TSA agents to work without compensation while Congress fought over immigration policy. Senator Susan Collins of Maine said the shutdown had become an embarrassment to the Republican Party and was undermining public confidence in the government's ability to function.

Democratic leaders said the vote demonstrated that bipartisan compromise is possible when the stakes are high enough and called on the House to take up the bill immediately. Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the chair of the Appropriations Committee, said every day of delay means more federal workers missing mortgage payments, falling behind on bills, and considering whether to leave government service permanently.

The bill includes a provision for back pay for all affected workers once regular funding is restored, as well as a 30-day continuing resolution for ICE and Border Patrol at current spending levels to provide time for further negotiations on immigration enforcement funding.