The House and Senate both passed bills providing funding for Department of Homeland Security agencies that have been functioning without pay for weeks amid a Democrat-imposed partial shutdown. The Hill reported that the House passed a GOP-backed bill Thursday to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a third time amid the 41-day shutdown.
The House approved the legislation in a 218–206 vote, with four Democrats joining Republicans in support: Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, Jared Golden, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. The same lawmakers had backed similar legislation earlier in the year.
Democrats have continued to call for changes to immigration enforcement practices following recent incidents in Minnesota involving federal agents. Two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed during enforcement operations, prompting investigations and legal challenges at the state level. Good struck an ICE agent with her vehicle while trying to flee, while Pretti, who was armed, directly confronted Border Patrol agents during an operation.
Despite ongoing negotiations, the White House and Democratic lawmakers remain at an impasse over a final agreement on immigration policy and Department of Homeland Security funding.
Meanwhile, Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), co-chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus, announced Wednesday that they were working on bipartisan legislation “to immediately re-open DHS “while advancing commonsense reforms to ICE, The Hill added.
They noted that the legislation “would require that all federal law enforcement agencies, including ICE, are held to the same high standards and policies as it pertains to training requirements, the use of body cameras, independent investigation of use-of-force at scenes, clear outer identification of the agency engaged in the enforcement action, cooperation with local law enforcement, and a prohibition of masks during enforcement actions coupled with tougher penalties for doxxing.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate passed a partial funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security in a rare overnight session, approving the measure at approximately 2:20 a.m. Friday. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives and is intended to restore pay for Transportation Security Administration workers who have gone without income for several weeks, WFTV9 reported.
The funding package covers most department operations but does not include U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or certain components of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The vote follows weeks of staffing shortages and financial strain for airport employees nationwide. Most TSA officers have continued working without pay, contributing to increased absenteeism at airports across the country.
While the Senate’s action marks a step toward addressing the situation, some workers had not yet received paychecks as of Friday. President Trump this week stated he would sign an executive order to get TSA officers paid for the first time since the funding lapse began.
“Lawmakers are set to leave for a two-week recess beginning March 30, which means they only have a short window to get a DHS deal across the finish line,” The Hill noted further. “If they leave without a deal this week, the shutdown will surpass the record for the longest one in U.S. history, which lasted for 43 days last year, unless the Senate approves regular funding.”
That shutdown was also caused by Senate Democrats at the behest of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who held the entire government hostage with what Republicans stated were unreasonable demands.
Against this backdrop, a brand new Real Polling in Real Time with Zogby found that Democrats and Republicans are essentially tied months before November’s crucial midterm elections, possibly spelling bad news for the Democratic Party.
The poll found:
–Democrats hold decisive double-digit advantages on healthcare (+14), health and wellness (+12), and trust in government amid the Epstein files (+11), and also lead on working-class needs (+8), affordability (+7), middle-class needs (+6), and minimizing AI job loss.
–Republicans lead on crime (+10), immigration (+7), international strength (+3), and keeping the American dream alive (+3).