Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a House-passed bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, extending a 27-day shutdown even as the United States faces escalating domestic terror threats and ongoing instability tied to the Iran conflict.
The procedural motion to advance the funding bill failed in a 51–46 vote. Sixty votes were required to overcome a filibuster. Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans to move the legislation forward.
It marked the fourth time since Feb. 12 that Senate Democrats have voted to block Homeland Security funding.
The House-passed bill would fund DHS through the remainder of the fiscal year, restoring full operations to agencies including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Instead, the partial shutdown continues to hamper agency operations, strain personnel and delay funding for critical homeland security functions.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune accused Democrats of refusing repeated compromise offers from the White House.
“There have been offers made repeatedly, the most recent of which was 13 days ago,” Thune said on the Senate floor. He proposed a short-term funding resolution to reopen the department in full while negotiations over immigration enforcement reforms continue.
“I would support a resolution… to fund not just TSA but Coast Guard, cybersecurity, CISA, FEMA, other agencies and departments of our government that are essential not only to national security and homeland security but to make sure people can move through our airports,” Thune said.
But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer argued that Democrats cannot support legislation that continues funding ICE and CBP without changes to enforcement policies.
“We all know that we do not have agreement on how to deal with ICE,” Schumer said before the vote. “Democrats just want ICE to behave like any police department in America and use warrants and not wear masks.”
Democrats have pointed to two controversial incidents in Minneapolis in which immigration agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens during enforcement operations. They argue reforms must be codified before funding resumes.
In response, Republicans accused Democrats of selective funding tactics and political maneuvering.
Schumer countered Thune’s full-department funding proposal by suggesting that the Senate pass a bill funding TSA alone to ease airport congestion. When Thune rejected that approach, Schumer replied: “I rest my case.”
Later in the day, Sen. Bernie Moreno objected to a unanimous consent request to fund TSA independently, arguing that it would leave other frontline personnel without pay.
“How about the Border Patrol guys and gals? How about customs? How about CISA? How about FEMA? How about the Coast Guard? Are we saying we’re going to penalize all of them?” Moreno said.
Sen. Eric Schmitt was even more blunt.
“Here we are again, with political gamesmanship and grandstanding,” Schmitt said. “Meanwhile, you voted against the Coast Guard.”
The standoff comes as law enforcement officials warn of heightened terror risks inside the United States.
In Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh — a former Army National Guard member who pleaded guilty in 2016 to providing material support to ISIS — allegedly carried out a shooting at Old Dominion University, killing Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a military science professor and ROTC instructor. Jalloh had been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison but was released in December 2024. Federal officials have not publicly detailed why he was released early.
Court records show Jalloh once told an FBI source that he had “thought about conducting an attack all the time,” referencing the 2009 Fort Hood attack.
Meanwhile, in Michigan, a suspect identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali rammed a truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield in what the FBI described as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.” Authorities say the vehicle contained mortar-style explosives and caught fire after impact. More than 30 officers were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. The synagogue houses an early childhood center with approximately 140 young children.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the incident “hate, plain and simple.” President Donald Trump said, “We will get right down to the bottom of it.”
Despite those concerns, Senate Democrats remain unified in their opposition to reopening DHS without immigration reforms.