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WASHINGTON\u2014The Senate voted to fund portions of the Department of Homeland Security early Friday morning, bringing a partial resolution to the funding lapse that began in February.<\/p>\n
The bill now heads to the House of Representatives, which will scramble to pass the bill before the weekend.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers spent Friday morning reacting to the long-awaited action from the Senate, which omits funding for ICE and Border Patrol agents. Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles suggested the House should attach a voter ID provision to the bill, a response to the Senate\u2019s inability to pass President Donald Trump\u2019s favored SAVE America Act.<\/p>\n
\u201cWE in the HOUSE should AMEND the Senate Bill, ADD VOTER ID AND FORCE A VOTE IN THE SENATE,\u201d Ogles posted<\/a> to X on Friday morning.<\/p>\n However, the Senate departed for its two-week long Easter recess, which could make any amendments to the proposal difficult without prolonging the shutdown even further.<\/p>\n Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is touting the deal as a victory. Democrats triggered the shutdown in mid-February in hopes of seeking major immigration enforcement reforms, even though none are included in this current funding deal.<\/p>\n \u201cThis long-overdue agreement funds TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA, CISA; strengthens security at the border and at ports of entry; and keeps Americans safe. This could\u2019ve been accomplished weeks ago if Republicans hadn\u2019t stood in the way,\u201d Schumer said on the Senate floor.<\/p>\n \u201cDemocrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump\u2019s rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms, and we will continue to fight for those reforms,\u201d he added. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only member of the caucus consistently opposed to the shutdown strategy.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) slammed Democrats\u2019 approach to the shutdown.<\/p>\n \u201cReal profiles in courage. They created this mess, couldn\u2019t define victory, refused to take yes for an answer, and now get nothing. Their leadership is a disaster \u2014and [Jeffries] shut down the government twice and got nothing for it, twice. Heckuva job!\u201d<\/p>\n However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (SD) said that Democrats were not cooperative in the negotiation process.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could be standing here right now, passing a funding bill with a list of reforms if Democrats had made the smallest effort to actually reach an agreement,\u201d Thune said on the Senate floor. \u201cBut they didn\u2019t. Because as is now clear to everyone, Democrats didn\u2019t actually want a solution. They wanted an issue. Politics over policy. Self-interest, just over reform. Pandering to their base over actually solving a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Conservatives were not happy that the funding bill omits ICE funding.<\/p>\n \u201cTotal Senate GOP capitulation to Chuck Schumer. DHS funded EXCEPT FOR ICE,\u201d Jim Pfaff, president of The Conservative Caucus, posted<\/a>. \u201cAll this because Senators want to go on a two week, paid vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThune didn\u2019t do anyone any favors with this bill.\u00a0 The battle now turns to the Border Patrol and ICE.\u00a0 That\u2019s the Democrats\u2019 goal. So, they punished the TSA and now they\u2019ll punish Border Patrol and ICE. \u00a0 In the end, the Democrats are blackmailing we, the American people,\u201d conservative commentator Mark Levin wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n The state of talks appeared to change Thursday after President Donald Trump declared an emergency in order to allow for TSA officers to get paid, as airport security lines continued to be a top concern, even as ICE agents have begun assisting at some airports.<\/p>\n \u201cTherefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports,\u201d Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday night.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Much of Trump\u2019s immigration agenda was already funded last July through the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill Act,\u201d including major components of ICE and CBP, which has left the shutdown mostly impacting agencies like TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA.<\/p>\n The move to fund the department, with the exception of the immigration-related agencies, is what some Democrats have been seeking as negotiations continued, according to Punchbowl News<\/a>, but they have also requested a laundry list of federal immigration enforcement reforms ranging from an end to masking for agents to the use of judicial warrants for most arrests.<\/p>\n The Daily Wire<\/a> reported that talks on Wednesday were deteriorating as Democrats continued to push for reforms that were repeatedly rejected.<\/p>\n After Trump made the TSA announcement on Thursday, Sen. Ron Johnson<\/a> (R-WI) said it was a clear indicator that the negotiation process was not going anywhere with Democrats.<\/p>\n \u201cTime to recognize reality \u2014 Democrats will never take yes for an answer. Stop trying to negotiate with them, and begin the Reconciliation Appropriation Process to fund [DHS] for multiple years,\u201d Johnson wrote. \u201cAnd do not fund ANY Democrat priorities!!!!\u201d<\/p>\n On the flip side, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro<\/a> (D-CT) tweeted that she is \u201cvery glad that these workers are finally being paid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is shameful the Trump administration chose not to pay them for 41 days,\u201d she added. \u201cWhy couldn\u2019t it have been done sooner?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n