Senate passes bill to fund most of Homeland Security Department
Funding for ICE, most of Customs and Border Protection excluded
The Senate broke a logjam in the wee hours of Friday morning to pass a funding bill by voice vote that would effectively end a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
After a late night of negotiations, the Senate agreed to a modified version of a bill that would fund all of the department with the exception of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and most of Customs and Border Protection — the two agencies that have been at the center of a partisan standoff over immigration enforcement practices.
“It’s not the way to fund the department,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said after the vote. “But we are out of time for the critical responsibilities and tens of thousands of workers currently going without pay.”
Thune said Democrats won none of the policy changes they had sought to immigration enforcement practices that had triggered the partial shutdown more than 40 days ago. He suggested Republicans were likely to seek funding for ICE and CBP through a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill in coming months.
Democrats had said for weeks they were willing to fund almost all of the department except for the immigration agencies as they continued to fight for more restrictions on federal agents in the wake of the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year.
“This could have been accomplished weeks ago if Republicans hadn’t stood in the way,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. “Democrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump’s rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms, and we will continue to fight for those reforms.”
The bill now heads to the House, which could take it up as early as Friday. It wasn’t yet clear whether it would encounter strong opposition in that chamber.
The final push toward a deal also came hours after President Donald Trump intervened with plans to issue an executive order to begin paying Transportation Security Administration workers during the partial shutdown.
After the bill’s passage, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., sought unanimous consent for passage of a separate measure to fund ICE and CBP.
But Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., objected, saying Schmitt’s bill would provide the agencies $100 billion for 10 years with no new restrictions on immigration agents.
Schmitt said Republicans are determined to secure the funding through a reconciliation bill, which can be passed in the Senate with a simple-majority vote instead of the normal 60-vote threshold.
“We will be back in reconciliation where 50-plus-one votes are enough and the filibuster cannot save you,” Schmitt said, referring to Democrats. “We’ll be back to deliver the funding ICE needs, and we’ll be back to deliver the policy changes the American people are demanding.”




