HeadlinesBriefing favicon HeadlinesBriefing.com

DHS Shutdown Deepens as House, Senate Clash Over Funding

New York Times Top Stories •
×

House Republicans rejected a bipartisan Senate deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security, passing their own measure instead and extending the agency shutdown that has crippled U.S. airports. The vote came after Senate Republicans and Democrats struck an agreement early Friday to fund most DHS operations through September, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.

President Trump backed the House GOP position, calling the Senate bill "inappropriate" and urging Republicans to eliminate the filibuster to force through a funding measure. Speaker Mike Johnson derided the Senate plan as "ridiculousness," arguing it would leave borders open by omitting money for ICE and Border Patrol, which are conducting Trump's deportation crackdown.

The House passed a stopgap measure funding DHS until May 22 on a 213-203 vote, but the bill faces certain defeat in the Senate where Democrats have rejected similar proposals. With lawmakers now scattered for a two-week recess, the shutdown continues to cause chaos at airport screening points as Transportation Security Administration officers remain unpaid and call out sick in significant numbers.