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BBC News1 min read
Congress ends record shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security
TL;DR
The House of Representatives voted to reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security, ending the longest agency shutdown in U.S. history. The funding bill excludes allocations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
Key points
- House of Representatives voted to reopen DHS
- Longest agency shutdown in U.S. history ended
- Funding bill excludes Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Funding bill passed by voice vote
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., takes questions at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on April 21, 2026. J. Scott Applewhite/AP
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
The House of Representatives voted Thursday to reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security, ending the longest agency shutdown in U.S. history.
The House passed a bill funding DHS, minus dollars for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. The measure passed by voice vote.
Democrats refused to back funding for many of the agency's immigration functions in an unsuccessful effort to secure reforms including body-worn cameras and broad restrictions on face coverings after federal law enforcement killed two American citizens in Minnesota earlier this year.
The Senate, led by Republican Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., unanimously advanced this funding legislation in March. At the time, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., referred to the proposal as "a joke" and refused to bring it up for a vote. Many members of the House Republican conference refused to fund the agency in a piecemeal fashion and did not want to negotiate over reforms to immigration enforcement operations.
On April 1, Johnson reversed course. He announced the funding bill would be voted on "in the coming days." More than four weeks later, he finally made good on that commitment.
In an effort to appease his hardline members, Johnson waited to bring the Senate's proposal to a vote until that chamber's Republicans started the arcane procedural process, known as reconciliation, to fund all of DHS — including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — for the remainder of Trump's term without any backing from Democrats.
The funding bill comes as Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin warned the agency was close to running out of funds to pay staff.
"We have reached all the emergency funds we can reach into," Mullin told Fox News on Friday. "I am completely out of the slush fund, I have no place to move at the end of the month."
Mullin said the agency was relying on appropriated funds from last year's One Big Beautiful Bill, which allocated more than $150 billion to DHS on top of its regular annual appropriations funding.
Q&A
What led to the longest shutdown in U.S. history at the Department of Homeland Security?
The shutdown was caused by political disagreements over funding allocations, particularly concerning Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
What does the new funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security include?
The funding bill passed by the House reopens most of the Department of Homeland Security but does not allocate funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
How did the House of Representatives vote on the DHS funding bill?
The House passed the funding bill by voice vote, indicating broad support among members.
