Senate Approves Homeland Security Funding Excluding Immigration Enforcement
The U.S. Senate early Friday morning approved a funding package for the Department of Homeland Security that includes money for the Transportation Security Administration and most other agencies, but notably excludes immigration enforcement operations. This partial resolution comes amid a 42-day budget stalemate that has disrupted travel and caused financial hardship for workers.
Funding Details and Political Context
The Senate unanimously approved the deal without a roll call vote, sending it to the House for consideration. The package funds key agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, and TSA, while leaving out Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Protection. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., stated, "We can get at least a lot of the government opened up again and then we'll go from there. Obviously, we'll still have some work ahead of us."
President Donald Trump announced he would sign an order to immediately pay TSA agents using funds from his 2025 tax bill, aiming to address what he called "Chaos at the Airports." However, the Senate package contains none of the restraints Democrats have demanded to rein in Trump's mass deportation agenda.
Democratic Opposition and Immigration Concerns
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the outcome, saying it could have been reached weeks earlier. He vowed that Democrats would continue fighting to ensure Trump's "rogue" immigration operation "does not get more funding without serious reform." Democrats have pushed for measures including requiring federal agents to wear identification, remove face masks, and refrain from conducting raids near schools or churches.
The funding impasse has not significantly disrupted immigration enforcement, which continues largely uninterrupted due to billions in extra funds funneled to DHS through last year's GOP tax cuts bill, including $75 billion for ICE operations.
Impact on Travel and TSA Workers
The budget shutdown has resulted in severe travel delays and warnings of potential airport closures as TSA workers missing paychecks stop reporting to work. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of scheduled TSA employees missed work, representing over 3,120 callouts. Multiple airports are experiencing callout rates exceeding 40%, and nearly 500 of the agency's approximately 50,000 transportation security officers have quit during the shutdown.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, expressed gratitude that TSA workers would be paid but urged Congress to pass a comprehensive deal "that funds DHS, pays all DHS workers, and keeps these vital agencies running."
House Prospects and Conservative Demands
Next steps in the House remain uncertain, with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., holding a slim majority. Passage will likely require bipartisan support as lawmakers on both flanks revolt. Conservative Republicans have criticized their party's proposals, demanding full funding for immigration operations. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., emphasized, "We will fully fund ICE. That is what this fight is about. The border is closing. The next task is deportation."
Broader Implications and Future Negotiations
Earlier Thursday, Thune presented what he called a "last and final" offer to Democrats, but negotiations stalled as Democrats argued GOP proposals lacked sufficient guardrails on immigration enforcement. The White House had considered invoking a national emergency to pay TSA agents, but Trump's order using tax bill funds provides an alternative. If the Senate package is approved by the House and signed into law, Trump's order would become unnecessary.
The funding crisis has created significant travel disruptions nationwide. At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, traveler Melissa Gates missed her flight to Baton Rouge after waiting over two and a half hours without reaching security, highlighting the real-world consequences of the political impasse.
