{"id":548866,"date":"2026-03-27T17:50:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/548866\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T17:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:50:08","slug":"house-weighs-next-steps-for-bill-to-fund-most-of-homeland-security-but-not-immigration-enforcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/548866\/","title":{"rendered":"House weighs next steps for bill to fund most of Homeland Security but not immigration enforcement"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The House is weighing the next steps on legislation to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security after the Senate early Friday sent over legislation to end the budget impasse that has jammed airports<\/a>, disrupted travel and imposed financial hardship<\/a> on thousands of federal workers.<\/p>\n

The Senate unanimously approved the measure without a roll call vote. The House could consider it as early as Friday. Speaker Mike Johnson said he would need to meet with his fellow Republicans first to determine the best way to proceed. Republicans are angry that the entire department was not funded. <\/p>\n

With pressure mounting to resolve the 42-day stalemate over funding for Homeland Security<\/a>, the endgame emerged in the final hours before TSA workers were to miss another paycheck. President Donald Trump<\/a> said he would sign an order to immediately pay the TSA agents, saying he wanted to quickly stop the \u201cChaos at the Airports.\u201d The deal did not include any of the restraints Democrats have demanded as they sought to rein in the Republican president\u2019s mass deportation agenda<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can get at least a lot of the government opened up again, and then we\u2019ll go from there,\u201d said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.<\/a> \u201cObviously, we\u2019ll still have some work ahead of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

]]><\/p>\n

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the outcome could have been reached weeks ago, and he vowed that his party would continue fighting to ensure Trump\u2019s \u201crogue\u201d immigration operation \u201cdoes not get more funding without serious reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in and out of the funding package<\/p>\n

Senators worked through the night on the deal that would fund much of the rest of the department, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and TSA, but without funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as the Border Patrol. <\/p>\n

While Democrats were successful in blocking more funding for ICE and the Border Patrol, they did not get the new limits on immigration enforcement they were demanding. Immigration enforcement has remained largely uninterrupted by the shutdown because the GOP\u2019s big tax cuts bill<\/a> that Trump signed into law last year funneled billions of dollars in extra funds to DHS, including $75 billion for ICE operations.<\/p>\n

Conservative Republicans have panned their own party\u2019s proposals, demanding full funding for immigration operations. Many have vowed to ensure ICE has the resources it needs in the next budget package to carry out Trump\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will fully fund ICE. That is what this fight is about,\u201d Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said. \u201cThe border is closing. The next task is deportation.\u201d<\/p>\n

On-again, off-again talks collapse<\/p>\n

Earlier Thursday, Thune announced he had given a \u201clast and final\u201d offer to the Democrats. But as the day dragged on, action stalled out. <\/p>\n

Democrats argued the GOP proposals have not gone far enough at putting guardrails on officers from ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agencies that are engaged in the immigration sweeps, particularly after the deaths of two Americans<\/a> protesting the actions in Minneapolis. <\/p>\n

]]><\/p>\n

They want federal agents to wear identification, remove their face masks and refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places. Democrats have also pushed for an end of administrative warrants, insisting that judges sign off before agents search people\u2019s homes or private spaces \u2014 something new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin<\/a> has said he is open to considering.<\/p>\n

Trump had largely left the issue to Congress but warned he was ready to take action, threatening to send the National Guard to airports in addition to his deployment of ICE agents, who are now checking travelers\u2019 IDs.<\/p>\n

The White House had floated the extraordinary move of invoking a national emergency to pay the TSA agents, a politically and legally fraught approach. Instead, Trump\u2019s order would pay TSA agents using money from his 2025 tax bill, according to a senior administration official who wasn\u2019t authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

If the Senate package is approved by the House and signed into law, the action Trump announced to pay TSA agents may be temporary or unneeded.<\/p>\n

For the House to take up the bill Friday, lawmakers will have to overcome some procedural hurdles. Namely, a resolution establishing the terms for considering the bill will likely need some support from Democrats, but they were being cautious about their stance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds like, at this point, this is exactly what we asked for, so I think it would be difficult to vote against that,\u201d said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif.<\/p>\n

Airport lines grow as TSA workers endure hardships<\/p>\n

The funding shutdown<\/a> has resulted in travel delays<\/a> and even warnings of airport closures<\/a> as TSA workers missing paychecks stop going to work. <\/p>\n

Multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates of TSA workers, and nearly 500 of the agency\u2019s nearly 50,000 transportation security officers have quit during the shutdown. Nationwide on Wednesday, more than 11% of the TSA employees on the schedule missed work, according to DHS. That is more than 3,120 callouts.<\/p>\n

Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the union is grateful the TSA workers will be paid but added Congress must stay in session to pass a deal \u201cthat funds DHS, pays all DHS workers, and keeps these vital agencies running.\u201d<\/p>\n

]]><\/p>\n

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston<\/a>, Melissa Gates said she would not make her flight to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after waiting more than 2\u00bd hours and still not reaching the security checkpoint. She said no other flights were available until Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should have just driven, right?\u201d Gates said. \u201cFive hours would have been hilarious next to this.\u201d<\/p>\n

___ <\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti, Rebecca Santana, Collin Binkley and Ben Finley in Washington, Lekan Oyekanmi in Houston, Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, and Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

Copyright
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