The House voted Friday to approve a short-term bill that would fund the entire Department of Homeland Security for eight weeks, extending funding through May 22, and sent the measure back to the Senate, where the top Democrat declared it “dead on arrival.”
The final House tally was 213-203. Three Democrats crossed party lines to support the measure: Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (North Carolina) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington). The split leaves a partial shutdown likely to continue as lawmakers remain at odds over a resolution.
Earlier Friday, the Senate passed a different DHS funding bill in the early hours that financed most DHS components but excluded Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection. That Senate package included funding for TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and was approved around 2 a.m.
Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed the House-passed, full-DHS stopgap would not clear the Senate, saying it was “dead on arrival” because Democrats would not provide the 60 votes needed to advance it. Senators left Washington for a two-week recess and are not scheduled to return until Monday, April 13; House members depart for a two-week holiday break and are not due back until Tuesday, April 14.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leaders rejected the Senate bill ahead of the House vote. “This gambit that was done last night is a joke,” Johnson told reporters. President Donald Trump also criticized the Senate deal in a Fox News interview, saying it “wasn’t good” and “wasn’t appropriate.”
Amid the stalemate, Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to ensure Transportation Security Administration employees are paid; DHS said TSA workers would begin receiving paychecks on Monday.
The Senate package left out ICE and parts of CBP funding, though both continue to receive some money from an influx of funds provided in last summer’s omnibus, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Democrats have pressed for reforms to ICE operations following the fatal shootings of two American citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents earlier this year; none of those reforms were included in the Senate text.
Schumer said he was proud Democrats “held the line” against funding ICE and CBP without reforms, adding they would continue to fight for changes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticized Democrats on the floor, accusing them of refusing to negotiate in good faith and saying they preferred “politics over policy.”
Republicans signaled they would pursue a later package to provide additional funding for ICE and CBP, potentially using budget reconciliation to bypass Democratic opposition. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) vowed such a measure would “supercharge deportations.”
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin and Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.
