Congress has passed a funding bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security after a 76-day shutdown, deferring a battle over immigration enforcement money to a separate, forthcoming legislative package.
Congress ended a 76-day funding impasse on Thursday by passing a bipartisan package to restore financing for the majority of the Department of Homeland Security, excluding its immigration enforcement arms. The House approved the measure via voice vote after the shutdown, which began on February 14 following a deadly immigration crackdown in Minnesota, forced thousands of TSA, FEMA, and Coast Guard employees to work without routine financing.
While Speaker Mike Johnson previously dismissed the plan as a “joke,” Republicans ultimately moved to end the standoff as the White House warned that “DHS will soon run out of critical operating funds, placing essential personnel and operations at risk.” President Trump is expected to sign the bill immediately, though the administration plans to secure $70 billion for its broader immigration crackdown through a separate budget reconciliation process intended to bypass Democratic opposition by June 1.