The House is considering a funding deal that would reopen much of the Department of Homeland Security after a 42-day partial government shutdown that disrupted airports and left thousands of federal workers without pay. The Senate approved the measure unanimously in the early morning hours Friday, sending it to the House for expected consideration later that day.
The package would fund the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection. However, it does not include funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency at the center of the budget impasse that has defined the longest federal shutdown in recent memory.
President Donald Trump announced he would sign an executive order to immediately pay TSA agents using money from his 2025 tax bill, citing the need to end what he called 'Chaos at the Airports.' The Senate deal emerged in the final hours before TSA workers were set to miss another paycheck Friday.
The legislation does not include any of the restrictions on immigration enforcement that Democrats have demanded as they sought to constrain Trump's mass deportation agenda. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the outcome could have been reached weeks ago and vowed his party would continue fighting to ensure Trump's immigration operations 'does not get more funding without serious reform.'
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative Republicans have criticized their own party's proposals, demanding full funding for immigration operations. Many have vowed to ensure ICE has the resources needed to carry out Trump's agenda in the next budget package.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said as he attempted to offer legislation to fund ICE: 'We will fully fund ICE. That is what this fight is about. The border is closing. The next task is deportation.'
The funding package also leaves Border Protection without new appropriations, though the GOP's 2025 tax cut bill that Trump signed into law last year included $75 billion in extra funds for DHS operations, ensuring immigration officers continue to be paid despite the funding lapse.
Trump had largely left the shutdown issue to Congress but warned he was ready to take action, including threatening to send the National Guard to airports in addition to deploying ICE agents to check travelers' identification.
What the Left Is Saying
Senate Democrats have insisted on guardrails for federal immigration agents, particularly after the deaths of two Americans protesting ICE operations in Minneapolis. Their proposals include requiring federal agents to wear identification, removing face masks and refraining from conducting raids near schools, churches and other sensitive locations.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the party would continue fighting to ensure Trump's 'rogue' immigration operation does not receive additional funding without substantive reforms. Democrats have also pushed for an end to administrative warrants, insisting that judges sign off before agents search homes or private spaces.
Senate Majority Leader John Thuna noted the deal would 'get at least a lot of the government opened up again' while acknowledging that work remained on broader budget negotiations. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said Congress must stay in session to pass a deal 'that funds DHS, pays all DHS workers, and keeps these vital agencies running.'
What the Numbers Show
The partial government shutdown affected roughly 50,000 Transportation Security Officers at airports nationwide. More than 11% of scheduled TSA employees—more than 3,120 workers—missed work Wednesday, according to DHS. Multiple airports reported greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers.
Nearly 500 TSA officers have quit during the shutdown, according to data cited in reports. The disruption caused flight delays and warnings of potential airport closures as workers without paychecks stopped coming to work.
The 42-day stalemate represents one of the longest federal budget impasses in recent history. The $75 billion in extra funding for DHS included in last year's tax cut bill has kept immigration enforcement operations running throughout the shutdown.
The Senate approved the funding deal unanimously without a roll call vote, though passage in the House will require bipartisan support. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a slim majority and faces pressure from both flanks of his conference.
The Bottom Line
The House now faces a decision on a funding package that would partially end the longest DHS shutdown in recent memory while leaving the core immigration enforcement debate unresolved. TSA workers would receive back pay under both the Senate bill and Trump's executive order.
The legislation does not include the policy concessions Democrats sought on immigration enforcement, meaning the underlying political fight over Trump's deportation agenda will likely continue into future budget negotiations. Conservative Republicans have already signaled they will push for full ICE funding in the next package.
What's next: The House is expected to vote on the Senate measure Friday. If it passes and Trump signs it into law, TSA agents would receive pay while the broader debate over immigration enforcement funding continues. Watch for potential floor amendments and the response from both party's flanks as the vote approaches.