Congress Concludes Unprecedented DHS Shutdown; Approves Bill Without ICE or Border Patrol Funding

Congress Ends DHS Shutdown

On Thursday, Congress approved a bill aimed at restoring funding to significant divisions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the exception of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Protection. This decision brought an end to a prolonged 76-day shutdown of the department.

The House followed the Senate’s earlier voice vote, which had passed the funding package over a month ago to partially support DHS functions. President Donald Trump is expected to endorse a bill that fully funds agencies like the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, all of which are not directly tied to immigration or border security.

Looking ahead, Congressional Republicans plan to concentrate on advancing a reconciliation bill, which promises to allocate billions for Border Patrol and ICE. This process would permit the legislation to progress in the Senate with only 51 partisan votes, thus sidestepping the need for broader bipartisan support.

Fundamentally, this approach separates DHS funding along party lines, limiting Democratic influence over immigration strategies enacted by Border Patrol and ICE.

However, not everyone is pleased with how Congress has managed funding in these areas of DHS.

Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) expressed his concerns before the vote, stating, “I think it’s foolish for us to fund the government this way.”

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) added, “The Senate is more concerned about preserving the filibuster than it is about preserving the Constitution. The filibuster is not in the Constitution. The spending bill is.”

According to reports, a number of House Republicans are particularly troubled by a provision in the bill that eliminates funding for ICE. Many believe this could lead to significant domestic challenges and increase calls to defund the agency. It was noted that Rep. Johnson attempted to amend this language but faced opposition from Senate Republican leaders regarding spending.

As the House prepares for a week-long recess, Johnson and other leaders concluded, in a recent meeting, that they had little option but to proceed with the bill. Pressure to act comes not just from their ranks; DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has publicly warned that funding is nearly depleted.