The Senate unanimously passed legislation early Friday to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, marking a significant step toward ending a shutdown that has crippled airport security operations and left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without paychecks for six weeks.
The measure would restore funding to most DHS agencies through September but pointedly excludes Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. The unanimous vote, with all 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats supporting the bill, sent it to the House for consideration.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune orchestrated the maneuver Friday morning, signaling that Congress wanted to resolve the crisis through the normal appropriations process rather than rely on executive workarounds. The motivation became clear after President Trump announced Thursday he would issue an executive order instructing newly confirmed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to begin paying TSA workers, effectively bypassing legislative action.
House Democrats have been advocating for a similar approach and indicated they plan to support the Senate bill without significant resistance. One House Democrat told Axios the political math was straightforward: "Want to go home. Airports a mess."
The consensus breaks down when it comes to the immigration agencies. Multiple House Republicans warned that excluding ICE and CBP funding could create problems on the GOP side, even as Democrats push for substantial agency reforms. Those two agencies have remained operational during the shutdown thanks to roughly $75 billion in additional funding provided through the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
The debates over ICE and CBP have intensified following killings of several U.S. citizens by immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota this year. Democrats have demanded major structural changes at both agencies, but Republicans and the Trump administration have largely resisted significant concessions.
If the House passes the Senate bill, negotiations would shift to resolving the status of ICE and CBP, setting up what could be the final hurdle in ending the shutdown. The impasse around those two agencies has proven to be the central sticking point throughout the budget crisis.
Comments