Early Friday, the Senate approved a measure to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security to address long airport lines and staffing problems at the Transportation Security Administration after TSA workers went more than a month without full paychecks. The measure, cleared by unanimous consent shortly after 2 a.m., finances all DHS components except Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Border Patrol. The House must still pass the legislation.
The vote followed an announcement from President Trump that he would sign an executive order directing DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to “immediately” pay TSA officers, calling the staffing shortages and long security lines an “emergency situation.” The White House later said the administration intends to use funds from last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pay TSA staff, though officials have not specified which provision would be repurposed and the move could face legal challenges. The administration compared the plan to a prior decision to repurpose Defense Department funds to keep military pay flowing during a shutdown.
Union and industry leaders reacted to the announcement. Everett Kelly, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents tens of thousands of TSA officers, said the union is “grateful” that TSA staff will “finally be paid,” while stressing that other unpaid DHS employees also need immediate pay. Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu praised the president and DHS leadership for implementing a solution to pay tens of thousands of TSA officers, noting the impact unpaid wages have had on families and aviation operations.
The Senate approval came after several failed attempts to advance DHS funding. Earlier Thursday, the chamber failed for a seventh time to advance the measure in a 53–47 procedural vote; Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to support moving forward. Senate Majority Leader Thune described the GOP offer as a “last and final” proposal and said Republicans would consider tweaking language if Democrats identified specific changes.
Republicans pushed to exclude funding for ICE’s deportation arm from the DHS package; their offer funds the department while leaving out ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. Democrats resisted, seeking immigration reforms and stronger protections for certain migrants. Some Democrats proposed funding all DHS agencies except ICE and Customs and Border Protection while pressing for reforms such as training standards and identification requirements for immigration officers. Republicans called a Democratic counterproposal insufficient and politically motivated.
Key senators described ongoing negotiations. Sen. Katie Britt said Republicans had “very fruitful conversations” with Democrats and hoped to find a pathway forward. Independent Sen. Angus King said Democrats were reviewing the GOP offer. Sen. Andy Kim called the GOP offer “not where we want it to be.” Thune accused Democrats of moving the goalposts and framed the vote to fund most of DHS as an attempt to break the impasse.
The votes occurred amid other Senate business, including a failed party-line vote to advance a photo ID amendment tied to the SAVE America Act. Lawmakers faced a scheduled two-week recess and left open the possibility of remaining in session if the standoff continued. House Republicans have passed DHS funding through September three times, but those bills repeatedly stalled in the Senate for lack of 60 votes.
In recent days, the president urged Republicans to end the filibuster to pass DHS funding and to pair DHS funding with his favored elections bill. He warned of “very drastic measures” if the shutdown continued and floated options such as declaring a national emergency to free funds to pay TSA personnel. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the best and easiest way to pay TSA agents is for Congress to fund DHS.
With the Senate approving funding for most of DHS, the next step is House passage. If the House approves the Senate measure, it should address the immediate pay issues at TSA, though questions remain about the timing of back pay, the legal authority for any executive action to pay officers, and the status of other unpaid DHS employees. Congressional leaders from both parties said discussions would continue to try to finalize a broader, bipartisan appropriations deal that funds the department through the fiscal year.