WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate in a late night/early morning Friday vote, passed a modified version of HR-7147 to fund DHS without allocations for ICE and CBP. The bill now heads to House for concurrence. Friday morning’s vote comes just hours after President Donald J Trump threated to use his executive authority to pay TSA workers, risking legal action, with or without congressional approval.
The bill funds most of DHS through September 30, 2026, ending the partial shutdown for TSA, U.S. Coast Guard, FEMA/disaster response, and most other DHS operations except for ICE and CBP enforcement and removal operations. ICE and CBP will now be handled separately most likely via budget reconciliation which only requires a simple majority vote without a filibuster.
Senator Patty Murray, who led the opposition, has been a staunch opponent to funding ICE and CBP enforcement praises the Senate passage with ICE and CBP funding crediting Democratic pressure.
“This is very good news for the TSA agents who’ve been working without pay and all the families who are looking forward to spring break travel,” Senator Murray wrote in a statement. “But it is a shame that instead of working with Democrats to land the plane on several common-sense reforms to ICE and Border Patrol that the White House had already agreed to, Republicans walked away from constructive conversations and ultimately rejected some basic steps to reform these agencies. I will keep fighting to secure real, meaningful steps to help rein in these rogue agencies—we just need Republicans to join us.”
Senator Murray presented several earlier bills to reign in ICE and CBP but were all rejected by Senate Republicans. In the bills rejected the reforms pushed would require cameras for agents (something ICE is doing now), require visible/proper identification, require basic use-of-force standards, and require judicial warrants.
If the bill passes the House and is signed by the President, it will end the 40+ day partial government shutdown.
Author: Mario Lotmore
