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Al Jazeera English1 min read
US Congress passes bill to resume funding for DHS and end partial shutdown
TL;DR
The US House of Representatives passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, ending an 11-week partial government shutdown. The bill now goes to President Trump's desk for approval.
Key points
- US House passed a bill to fund DHS
- Bill ends 11-week partial government shutdown
- Excludes funding for ICE and CBP
- Trump supported the funding measure
- TSA agents worked unpaid during the shutdown
Mentioned in this story
Department of Homeland SecurityDonald TrumpImmigration and Customs EnforcementCustoms and Border ProtectionTransportation Security Administration
The United States House of Representatives has passed a Senate-approved bill to resume funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), sending the measure to President Donald Trump’s desk.
The adoption of the bill, which did not include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP), by a voice vote on Thursday paves the way to end an 11-week partial government shutdown.
Although the two agencies have ample funding through previously approved laws, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson initially opposed the measure for excluding them.
But he eventually brought the proposal to a vote after Trump voiced support for it.
The partial shutdown had left several departments within DHS operating on fumes, leading to long lines at airports where many Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents reported to work unpaid.
The shutdown has also raised concerns about possible disruption to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which responds to natural disasters and is part of DHS.
“This is welcome news,” Democratic congresswoman Zoe Lofgren said of the passage of the bill.
“I’m glad that we are now funding the law-abiding agencies within DHS, like TSA and FEMA. Now Congress needs to work on reining in ICE and CBP and holding them to the same standard to which every cop in America is held.”
The impasse was spurred, in part, by the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which resulted in the killing of two US citizens in January.
On February 4, Democratic leaders in Congress issued a list of demands to reform ICE.
The conditions included banning ICE agents from wearing masks to conceal their identities, prohibiting racial profiling and ending immigration raids on “sensitive locations” like schools and churches.
Without such “common sense reforms”, the Democrats threatened to withhold their votes from any funding legislation for DHS.
Republicans rejected the Democrats’ demands, calling them unreasonable.
Republicans control both the Senate and the House. But a legislative rule in the Senate, known as the filibuster, requires lawmakers to reach a 60-vote threshold to pass major legislation.
The DHS shutdown started on February 14.
The Senate passed a DHS funding bill that left out ICE as a compromise in March, but the proposal was held up by Johnson for more than a month.
Q&A
What does the new bill for DHS funding include?
The bill resumes funding for the Department of Homeland Security but does not include funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection.
How long did the partial government shutdown last?
The partial government shutdown lasted for 11 weeks before the funding bill was passed.
Who supported the DHS funding bill in Congress?
The bill was initially opposed by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson but was brought to a vote after President Trump expressed his support.
