The House on Friday approved an eight-week, full-Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would extend DHS funding through May 22, sending the measure back to the Senate where top Democrats declared it “dead on arrival.” The final vote was 213-203, with three Democrats—Reps. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (North Carolina) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington)—joining Republicans to pass the stopgap.
Earlier in the day, the Senate approved a different DHS funding package shortly after 2 a.m. that funded most DHS components but explicitly excluded Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection. The Senate bill provided money for the Transportation Security Administration, FEMA, the Coast Guard and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the House-passed, full-DHS stopgap would not clear the Senate, calling it “dead on arrival” and saying Democrats would not supply the 60 votes needed to move it forward. Both chambers left Washington for a two-week recess: senators are not scheduled to return until Monday, April 13, and House members until Tuesday, April 14.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders rejected the Senate approach before the House vote. “This gambit that was done last night is a joke,” Johnson told reporters. Former 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 TSA employees are paid; DHS announced TSA workers would begin receiving paychecks on Monday.
The Senate text left out ICE and parts of CBP funding, though both agencies continue to receive some resources from last summer’s omnibus, referred to in the debate as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Democrats have pushed for reforms to ICE operations after the fatal shootings of two American citizens in Minneapolis allegedly involving federal agents earlier this year; none of those reforms were included in the Senate package.
Schumer said he was proud Democrats “held the line” against funding ICE and CBP without reforms and vowed to keep fighting for changes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticized Democrats on the floor, accusing them of refusing to negotiate in good faith and prioritizing “politics over policy.”
Republicans signaled plans for a later measure to fund ICE and CBP, potentially using budget reconciliation to bypass Democratic opposition. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) said such a proposal would “supercharge deportations.”
ABC News reporters Allison Pecorin and Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.