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The Senate early Friday advanced a last-minute agreement to reopen much of the Department of Homeland Security, moving Congress closer to ending a shutdown that has stretched more than six weeks.
Lawmakers approved the measure unanimously, 42 days after the funding lapse began, sending the proposal to the House for consideration.
The agreement would restore funding for most DHS operations but excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, reflecting demands from Senate Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republicans had sought to fund the department in full but accepted the compromise to move negotiations forward.
“We’ve been trying for weeks to fund the whole thing,” Thune said. “And, I mean, in the end, this is what they were willing to agree to. But again, it’s different that it has zero reforms in it. I mean, they got no reforms on DHS, which they could have had if they had been willing to work with us a little bit on that.”
The deal follows multiple failed attempts to pass DHS funding legislation amid disputes over immigration enforcement policies tied to the Trump administration’s approach. The proposal now faces uncertainty in the House, where some Republicans have expressed concern about leaving out funding for key immigration enforcement agencies.
Despite the funding gap, ICE and CBP have access to previously approved funds, which Republican leaders said could sustain operations temporarily.
“The good news is we anticipated this a year ago,” Thune said, referring to earlier legislation that provided advance funding for Homeland Security programs. “I still think it’s unfortunate.”
The shutdown has disrupted operations across the department, including airport security, where Transportation Security Administration officers have been working without pay.
Lawmakers are expected to continue negotiations over longer-term funding and immigration policy, including proposals to secure additional funding for enforcement operations in future legislation.
