House Passes DHS Funding Bill Amid Budget Standoff
The US House of Representatives rejected a bipartisan Senate deal to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and instead passed its own funding measure late on Friday. This action extends a weeks-long budget standoff that has disrupted air travel across the country.
The stopgap bill, which proposes funding the DHS in full for eight weeks, passed by a vote of 213 to 203. The measure came after House Republicans refused to take up a Senate-passed deal that excluded funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the border patrol.
This move essentially prolongs the budget impasse that has forced thousands of airport security staff to work without pay, even as the White House has taken steps to address the issue.
Senate Democrats Respond to House Action
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer issued a statement regarding the House's decision:
"A funding measure that locks in the status quo is dead on arrival in the Senate, and Republicans know it. 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."
The late-night vote followed House Speaker Mike Johnson's criticism of the earlier bipartisan Senate bill, which he called a "joke" for withholding funds from agencies responsible for enforcing former President Trump's deportation policies.
House Republicans Propose Alternative Legislation
House Republicans introduced competing legislation aimed at fully funding Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff, as well as immigration agents and border patrol personnel. Both the House and Senate must pass the same version of a bill before it can be sent to the president for signature.
With the lapse in federal funding and the ongoing disruption at American airports expected to continue, the White House announced that former President Trump signed a memorandum on Friday directing his administration to resolve the "unprecedented emergency situation" and secure funds necessary to pay TSA salaries.
Before the House approved the funding bill, the DHS, which oversees multiple agencies including the TSA, posted on X that "TSA officers should begin seeing paychecks as early as Monday, March 30." The partial government shutdown has left TSA staff—who screen passengers, baggage, and cargo—without pay since mid-February.
Impact on Airports and TSA Staff
The ongoing stalemate has caused severe delays at airports. At Houston’s international airport, security lines extended far into the distance, and airport staff distributed bottles of water, according to an Agence France-Presse reporter on site Friday.
Funding Dispute and Political Positions
The core of the funding dispute lies in Democratic demands for reforms to ICE, an agency facing nationwide criticism for its aggressive tactics. Earlier on Friday, senators voted to fund the DHS for 2026, excluding ICE and border patrol funding.
The Senate bill would have provided funding for the TSA, the US Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), among other operations. However, it did not include the reforms proposed by Democrats.
Despite the exclusion of ICE and border patrol funding, these agencies would not have been barred from operations because the Republican-controlled Congress allocated substantial additional funding to both agencies in 2025.
House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the Senate effort, stating:
"This gambit that was done last night is a joke. The Senate bill, which passed unanimously, left US borders unsecured."
Johnson, a top House Republican and ally of former President Trump, said he spoke with the president, who "understands exactly what we’re doing and why, and he supports it."
Legislative Timeline and Reactions
The passage of the House bill occurred just before the Senate began a two-week recess, with the House starting its own break on Friday. This timing potentially signals prolonged difficulties for air travelers and TSA workers.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), expressed strong disapproval of congressional leadership:
"I have never been more disgusted by the failure of elected leadership in my life. Though TSA officers will be paid, FEMA workers, Coast Guard, CISA and other DHS employees are waiting on their back pay. These are not abstractions. These are American fathers and mothers and sons and daughters who serve our country every single day ... and Congress left them without a paycheck and went on a two-week paid vacation on our dime."
Former President Trump had previously stated he would not sign a funding deal unless Congress also passed a contentious bill to overhaul how citizens register to vote in US elections.
Although Republicans hold a majority in both chambers of Congress, Senate rules require a certain number of Democratic votes to pass budget bills.
Top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries indicated that his party is seeking to force a House vote on the Senate’s bipartisan measure.
Effects on TSA Workforce
The political impasse has strained TSA services significantly. According to the White House, nearly 500 transportation security officers have resigned, and unscheduled absences have surged since the partial shutdown began.
