The House of Representatives on Friday advanced a 60-day stopgap funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but the legislation faces significant hurdles in the Senate amid ongoing disputes over immigration enforcement funding.
The House Rules Committee approved the measure after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and GOP leadership rejected a competing Senate-passed DHS funding bill. Johnson strongly criticized the Senate plan, which excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and limits resources for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), calling it a “joke.” President Donald Trump also condemned the Senate deal in an interview.
The Senate bill provides full-year appropriations for DHS except for ICE, withholding roughly $5.5 billion from the agency, and restricts CBP funding to just over $11 billion for operations and support. House Rules Committee Chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) described the Senate proposal as “unconditional surrender” and asserted the House would not accept it.
The stopgap measure passed by the House is expected to pass the chamber with a narrow GOP majority, though Democrats are likely to oppose it due to its funding of Trump-era immigration enforcement policies without the reforms they seek. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) blamed House Republicans for prolonging the 42-day partial government shutdown and advocated for the Senate’s bipartisan funding bill as a solution.
Despite advancing in the House, the temporary funding resolution faces an uncertain path in the Senate. Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked short-term DHS funding extensions throughout the shutdown and have left Washington for recesses and congressional delegations.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) immediately rejected the House GOP’s measure, citing prior bipartisan agreement on the Senate bill that excluded immigration enforcement funding. Schumer called the House proposal “dead on arrival.” A GOP aide told Fox News that passing the Senate bill would be the simplest way to end the shutdown, but attributed the stalemate to Democratic obstruction.
House Republicans like Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) expressed hope that the Senate would return to negotiations next week but maintained opposition to the Senate’s late-night funding bill, emphasizing border security as a priority funded through standard appropriations rather than reconciliation bills. Senate Republicans plan to prioritize ICE and Border Patrol funding in a future budget reconciliation effort.
Why it matters
The ongoing DHS funding impasse continues to disrupt federal operations amid a partial government shutdown that entered its 42nd day. The inability of Congress to agree on border security and immigration enforcement funding leaves critical homeland security functions at risk, prolongs uncertainty for TSA agents and CBP personnel, and contributes to operational chaos at airports nationwide.
Background
The partial government shutdown began over disputes on DHS funding, particularly regarding immigration enforcement agencies like ICE and CBP. The Senate has attempted multiple short-term funding extensions, all blocked by Senate Democrats, while the House GOP has sought a shorter-term funding bill that includes funding for border enforcement. This legislative standoff reflects broader partisan conflicts on immigration policy and border security funding priorities.
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