House Republicans Pass Stopgap Funding for DHS Amid Controversy
On Friday night, House Republicans moved forward with a temporary funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), turning down a Senate-approved spending bill that did not include immigration enforcement funding.
This action will likely prolong the ongoing partial government shutdown, which has already lasted six weeks.
The House’s proposal aims to fully support DHS for 60 days, though it faces a strong chance of rejection in the Senate.
The “clean continuation resolution” was passed by a narrow margin of 213-209, with three Democrats joining Republican votes. It’s worth noting that sixteen members, split equally between Republicans and Democrats, chose not to cast their votes.
The Senate’s version, introduced by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and approved early Friday morning, received support from House Democrats. However, it was criticized by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and others for failing to allocate any funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“This bill completely defunds the police,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise remarked about the Senate measure, highlighting concerns regarding its implications.
He emphasized that this approach is not responsible for the country.
Notably, billions for ICE and CBP had already been secured through a previous legislative effort known as President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer.
Senate Republicans hoped to secure additional funding for these agencies through a reconciliation process soon, which would bypass the need for a supermajority. However, House Republican leaders viewed this as a risky maneuver.
President Trump also expressed disappointment with the Senate bill, categorizing it as “not adequate” for failing to provide funding for both ICE and Border Patrol.
In an interview, he stated, “There can’t be a bill that doesn’t fund it. In my opinion, there can’t be a bill that doesn’t fund ICE. There can’t be a bill that doesn’t fund any form of law enforcement.”
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) criticized the House Republicans’ stopgap bill as merely a “partisan political stunt disguised as a legitimate bill.”
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) voiced frustration on the House floor, insisting that the measure would pass if brought to a vote, showing strong sentiment among some members.
Many House members were absent during Friday’s voting, and the Senate was also empty as it began a two-week recess.
In a recent interview, Speaker Johnson mentioned that the continuing resolution could potentially pass the Senate unanimously if there are no objections during its preliminary session as early as Monday.
However, he cautioned that a single objection from a senator could derail the process.
In response to recent tragic incidents involving ICE and CBP, Senate Democrats withheld DHS funding for 42 days, protesting the deaths earlier this year of Renee Good and Alex Preti in Minnesota.
On a separate note, President Trump signed an executive order on Friday, ensuring that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees would be compensated during the shutdown. This move aims to alleviate long wait times at airports, although many other DHS employees, like those from FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard, will remain unpaid.
