Shutdown Averted: DHS Funding Agreement Reached

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., announced on Wednesday an agreement to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the end of September. This comes after a period of stalled negotiations and a previous 47-day funding lapse.

The Two-Track Approach

Immediate Funding

The House will consider a measure already passed by the Senate to fund all of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. This will provide immediate funding to avoid a shutdown.

Long-Term Plan for ICE and Border Patrol

Republicans intend to pursue a separate, party-line budget reconciliation bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years. This approach would not require Democratic support.

Political Reactions to the Deal

Democrats have welcomed the agreement, aligning with their stance of not increasing funding for ICE without reforms following incidents where enforcement agents killed U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. However, the deal does not include policy changes Democrats have been advocating for, such as restrictions on masks for enforcement officers and requirements for judicial warrants for home entries.

The agreement initially faced resistance from House Republicans, who previously dismissed a similar plan. Former President Donald Trump also initially expressed skepticism, calling the agreement a “joke” and withholding public endorsement. He later indicated support for a party-line bill focused on immigration enforcement, stating, “We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding for our Border and ICE Agents.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the Republican divisions that delayed the agreement, stating, “For days, Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction.”

Potential Challenges and Next Steps

Congress is currently on a two-week recess, but the Senate and House could move to fund DHS, excluding ICE and CBP, as early as Thursday using unanimous consent. This procedure bypasses formal voting, but requires no member to object. Opposition from hard-line conservatives in the House, who want full DHS funding, could complicate this process.

Despite the shutdown, ICE operations have been minimally impacted due to a previously approved $75 billion in funding through a party-line budget reconciliation bill last year. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., voiced strong opposition, stating, “caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again.”