DHS funding live updates as Senate-approved bill faces headwinds in the House
What to know about Day 42 of the DHS shutdown:
- Senate-approved legislation to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, including the TSA, faces major hurdles in the House, where conservatives have said it does not have their support without funding for immigration enforcement and voter ID requirements.
- In a voice vote in the middle of the night, the Senate approved a bill that excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection. Senate Democrats did not secure most of the reforms to federal immigration enforcement they demanded, but hailed the Senate-approved measure as a win.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson is considering a 60-day continuing resolution to fund all of DHS, including ICE, according to a source familiar with the plan. But if passed, that would punt the issue back to the Senate, which began a two-week recess. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said it would be "dead on arrival."
Schumer say plan for 60-day continuing resolution for DHS would be "dead on arrival" in Senate
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said that a proposal that funds the entirety of the Department of Homeland Security for 60 days would go nowhere in the upper chamber, calling such a plan "dead on arrival."
"We've been clear from day one: Democrats will fund critical Homeland Security functions — but we will not give a blank check to Trump's lawless and deadly immigration militia without reforms," he said in a statement.
Schumer said Republicans know that any legislative proposal that maintains the status quo for the department would fail to garner the support needed to advance in the Senate.
Johnson floats 60-day continuing resolution that funds all of DHS over Senate-passed measure
House Speaker Mike Johnson told House Republicans on a conference-wide call that he's considering a tentative plan for a clean 60-day continuing resolution that would fund all of the Department of Homeland Security, including ICE, instead of the Senate-passed bill, according to a source familiar with the proposal.
The plan would send the measure back to the Senate and remains under discussion, with challenges expected in the upper chamber.
Jeffries says "overwhelming support" among House Democrats to pass Senate bill
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said there's "overwhelming support" among Democrats to pass the Senate deal, and also signaled that they could step in to help advance it during a procedural vote that is typically along party lines, if it comes to that.
"There was overwhelming support expressed to pass this bipartisan bill today so we can pay TSA agents, stop inconveniencing millions of Americans and end the airport chaos," Jeffries said.
When asked whether Democrats would help advance a rule, Jeffries said Democrats "haven't had that conversation, but we're prepared to do what's necessary to end the chaos today."
House Freedom Caucus says it won't support current DHS deal
The conservative House Freedom Caucus said it will not support the current DHS funding deal, complicating quick passage in the lower chamber. The group demanded that the House reattach funding for immigration enforcement, as well as add a voter ID provision, before sending it back to the Senate.
Their opposition means GOP leaders face major hurdles in bringing up the legislation through the Rules Committee and advancing it to a vote on final passing via a party-line simple majority vote.
GOP Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, the group's chairman, said they have made it clear to GOP leaders that they will not provide their votes to pass it under suspension of the rules, meaning it would need strong backing from Democrats to reach the two-thirds majority threshold.
"The only thing we're going to support is adding that funding into the bill, adding voter ID, sending it back to the Senate," Harris said, calling it a "bad" deal.
"We stand united," he said.
GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a member of the Rules Committee, said it's "offensive" that the Senate would approve a bill that does not fund immigration enforcement.
"Could the Senate be any more lazy than to send to us a bill that doesn't do the job and then leave town," Roy said. "We're going to stand up and say no to that."
House Freedom Caucus members are currently huddling in Johnson's office.
House Democratic leadership encourages members to stay in D.C. this weekend
House Democratic leadership advised members that additional votes related to DHS funding "are possible today and throughout the weekend." In a notice Friday, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, said that "members are encouraged to remain in D.C. Additional information about the vote schedule will be announced as soon as it becomes available."
TSA workers to miss second full paycheck today
Today TSA workers are missing their second full paycheck since the shutdown began. Soon after the shutdown began, they received paychecks with half pay.
It'll take about five business days before they can receive any pay — whether that's through President Trump's order or congressional action to fund DHS.
Since the beginning of the shut down, 510 TSA officers have quit, according to TSA, as of Friday afternoon.
Emmer acknowledges "procedural challenges" to holding vote Friday
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, said Republicans are "working through the procedural issues" and noted that they could not bring up the Senate bill through suspension of the rules without changing the rules. House rules prevent moving bills under suspension of the rules on days other than Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays.
GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, has been in and out of the House speaker's office Friday morning.
Johnson and Scalise say they're still deciding next steps
House GOP leaders did not commit Friday morning to putting the Senate-passed legislation on the House floor.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that Republicans are meeting this morning to "decide next steps."
He slammed Democrats over the measure, which excludes ICE and parts of CBP, calling it "infuriating" and accusing them of being "willing to inflict pain on the American people simply so they can defund the agency responsible for removing criminal illegal aliens," adding the approach is "detestable."
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Republicans are talking about "a couple of different options" and looking at the Senate bill to see if "that's something that we're going to process."
DHS funding faces hurdles when House returns at 9 a.m.
A schedule released Thursday by House leadership says the lower chamber is set to return for legislative business at 9 a.m. Votes are expected to begin around 10 a.m.
The schedule was released before the Senate approved DHS funding and did not list any DHS-related votes, but noted that "additional legislative items are possible."
House GOP leadership could decide to fast-track the bill by bypassing the House Rules Committee, but House rules prevent moving bills under suspension of the rules on days other than Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays. That strategy would also require a two-thirds majority vote for passage and Democratic support.
But it's also unclear if the bill can clear the Rules Committee and a party-line procedural vote on the floor, which would pave the way for passage by a simple majority.
Senate approves most of DHS funding overnight
Ahead of its two-week recess, the Senate agreed to an off-ramp to end the 42-day partial shutdown that has centered on federal immigration enforcement.
The deal that was approved in a voice vote after 2 a.m. funds all of DHS except ICE and parts of CBP. The legislation did not include most of the reforms to federal immigration enforcement that Democrats demanded after federal officers fatally shot two Americans in Minnesota during Mr. Trump's immigration crackdown.
There appeared to be some movement in negotiations this week, but talks ultimately fell apart as Democrats said the GOP's offer to fund all of DHS did not go far enough in meeting their demands.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said his party "held the line."
"Throughout it all, Senate Democrats stood united — no wavering, no backing down," he said on the Senate floor after passage. "Senate Democrats were clear: no blank check for a lawless ICE and Border Patrol."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said Thursday afternoon that Republicans sent Democrats their "last and final" offer.
Shortly after, the Senate began a procedural vote on DHS funding, which was held open for more than six hours in hopes that there would be a breakthrough in negotiations. The vote ultimately failed.
But Mr. Trump said he would sign an emergency order to pay TSA agents as travelers face long waits in airport security lines, which Thune said alleviated "the immediate pressure" to reach a deal.
Mr. Trump's announcement appeared to pave the way for ending the impasse, which threatened to cut short the Senate's recess.
After Friday's vote, Thune ruled out the possibility of immigration enforcement reforms, telling reporters that Democrats "kissed that opportunity goodbye" by failing to provide funding for those agencies.
"I think that ship has sailed," he said.
Republicans have vowed to fund immigration enforcement agencies through the reconciliation process, though the strategy is expected to face more hurdles with the GOP's narrow majority and a lack of Democratic support.
