The House and Senate both passed legislation on Friday to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end one of the longest government shutdowns in congressional history — but not the same legislation. The two chambers remain at an impasse over federal immigration enforcement, with both parties as far apart as they were when the agency first shut down on Feb. 14.
The Senate bill, which passed unanimously and was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), reflects Democratic demands to deny funding to ICE and Customs and Border Protection operations while the parties negotiate policing reforms. The House bill, crafted solely by Republicans, funds the entire DHS — including ICE and Border Patrol — at current levels for eight weeks.
With both chambers departing Washington for a two-week recess and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) already opposing the House measure, the 42-day partial shutdown is now guaranteed to break the record for the longest one in U.S. history, which lasted 43 days last year.
What the Right Is Saying
House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), rejected the Senate bill as inadequate and crafted their own measure fully funding ICE and Border Patrol. Johnson called the Senate approach a joke and expressed frustration that Senate Republicans supported it.
The far-right House Freedom Caucus successfully pushed GOP leaders to provide more funding to ICE and CBP. The caucus bashed the Senate deal early Friday, arguing they wanted full funding for Border Patrol and ICE along with voter ID requirements.
Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) told reporters the only acceptable path was adding funding and voter ID, sending it back to the Senate, and making them return to do their work. He called the Senate deal bad for America.
The decision to break from the Senate created strains between chambers. While Johnson sought to place blame on Democrats, it was Thune who endorsed the Senate bill and brought it to the floor. Trump ultimately criticized the Senate measure, saying in his view you cannot have a bill that does not fund ICE.
What the Left Is Saying
House Democrats criticized Republicans for rejecting a bipartisan Senate compromise that they said represented the best path to reopening the department. Democrats had repeatedly sought unanimous consent in the Senate to pass bills funding every agency under DHS except ICE and CBP.
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) lambasted House Republicans on the floor, saying they had the easiest possible path to put people first by voting for a bill every Senate Republican supported. She argued Republicans could not bring themselves to get out of the way.
Democrats had championed a bill sponsored by Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) that would separate immigration enforcement funding from the rest of DHS. Some members were prepared to help Republicans pass a rule to debate the Senate measure — an extraordinary move given that rule votes typically test party loyalty.
The sticking point stems from the fatal shootings of two American protestors in Minneapolis earlier this year, which Democrats said demanded tougher rules governing federal immigration enforcement conduct.
What the Numbers Show
The partial DHS shutdown has lasted 42 days as of Friday, guaranteeing it will surpass the previous record of 43 days set last year. The shutdown began on Feb. 14.
Both chambers passed different bills on Friday: the Senate's bipartisan stopgap passed unanimously, while the House Republican bill passed with unified GOP support.
President Trump signed an executive order on Friday shifting funds to pay TSA agents, who had been working without pay since the partial shutdown began. Many TSA employees called in sick or quit their jobs during the impasse.
The Senate bill would fund DHS except ICE and CBP operations during negotiations. The House bill funds all of DHS at current levels for eight weeks.
The Bottom Line
The DHS funding impasse shows no signs of resolution as both parties depart for a two-week recess. Republicans insist on funding ICE and Border Patrol, while Democrats demand tougher rules governing immigration enforcement conduct following the Minneapolis shootings.
Thousands of DHS employees continue working without pay, though TSA agents will now receive compensation through the president's executive order. The partial shutdown has created chaotic scenes at airports nationwide with long security lines and massive delays.
The Freedom Caucus demonstrated significant leverage in this fight, exposing how fragile Speaker Johnson's razor-thin majority is and how much influence a small bloc of lawmakers can wield. Meanwhile, President Trump remained largely on the sidelines but ultimately backed the House position against funding immigration enforcement without policy concessions.
With no end in sight, Americans will not see relief from the partial shutdown until at least after the recess, when both parties return to Washington to negotiate a compromise — if one can be reached.