Congressional leaders strike deal on Homeland Security funding ahead of shutdown deadline

Congressional leaders have struck a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the remainder of fiscal year 2024, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill, ahead of Friday’s shutdown deadline. The six bills scheduled to be submitted by now have been completed.

Negotiators are still finalizing the details and legal text of the DHS agreement, the person said, but the DHS bill is a year-round bill and not the band-aid that lawmakers focused on over the weekend.

Punchbowl News first reported the development.

The DHS funding agreement comes as member states race to avoid a partial government shutdown by a midnight Friday deadline.

But Congress could still find it necessary to pass a short-term continuing resolution by Friday to keep the lights on in Washington as lawmakers finish considering the funding bill. House Republicans remain adamant that the bill must be considered for at least 72 hours before a vote in the House, and Senate procedures could extend the process into the weekend.

Six annual spending bills to fund DHS are scheduled to be introduced on Friday. Pentagon. Financial Services and General Government. Department of Labor, Health and Welfare, and Education. the legislature; and national and foreign operations.

Congressional leaders had hoped to release the text of the bill over the weekend, but disagreements over DHS funding delayed that schedule. Lawmakers reached agreement on five other spending bills.

Leaders initially sought to pass a continuing resolution on DHS amid bitter partisan tensions over border security and immigration. But Republicans argued that the White House’s late involvement in funding negotiations disrupted the weekend schedule.

Sources told The Hill at the time that Democrats wanted more funding for pay equity for the Transportation Security Administration, while Republicans wanted more funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention and enforcement operations. wanted more funds.

developing.