DHS Funding Lapses as Senate Leaves Town, Setting Up Partial Shutdown

With negotiations stalled and no compromise reached, lawmakers departed Washington ahead of a funding deadline that threatens to shutter key Homeland Security operations.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

The Senate adjourned legislative business on Feb. 12 without reaching an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security, setting the stage for a partial shutdown as lawmakers do not plan to return to Capitol Hill until Feb. 23.

Funding for DHS expires Feb. 13 after Congress earlier approved legislation securing 96 percent of the federal government’s budget through Sept. 30. That package temporarily extended DHS funding to the mid-February deadline, leaving the agency’s long-term financing unresolved.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said negotiations between Republicans and Democrats are ongoing but that a deal remains “not close,” despite nearly two weeks of talks focused largely on immigration enforcement policy.

If funding lapses, the shutdown would affect several major DHS components, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among others.

Democrats have conditioned support for a funding measure on changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and related federal immigration enforcement practices. Negotiators have yet to reach consensus on the scope or structure of the requested reforms.

On Feb. 12, the Senate rejected a Republican-backed proposal to provide full-year funding for DHS. The measure failed in a 52–47 vote, falling short of the 60 votes required to advance. All Democrats except Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voted against the bill. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not vote.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced ahead of the vote that Democrats would oppose the measure.

“The Republican bill on the floor allows ICE to smash in doors without warrants, to wear masks and not be identified, to use children as bait for their parents, no oversight,” Schumer said in a video posted to X. “We are keeping our word: No funding for ICE until it is reined in; no funding until the violence ends.”

A separate attempt by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., to extend DHS funding for an additional two weeks was blocked. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., objected to the unanimous consent request, preventing the short-term extension from advancing.

Tensions over immigration enforcement intensified following fatal shootings in Minneapolis involving federal immigration agents and two American citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who were participating in protests. After Pretti’s shooting, Schumer issued a statement reiterating that Democrats would withhold support for DHS funding absent reforms to immigration enforcement practices.

Although Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been central to the funding standoff, the agency’s operations are expected to continue largely uninterrupted. Last year, Congress authorized $75 billion over four years for ICE, allowing it to maintain operations independent of broader DHS appropriations. Additionally, most ICE personnel are classified as essential employees and would continue working during a shutdown.

Other DHS agencies are expected to feel more immediate operational strain. The Transportation Security Administration would maintain airport screening functions through essential personnel required to report to duty. However, past shutdowns have resulted in increased absenteeism among TSA workers, who are required to work without pay during funding gaps, contributing to longer wait times at airport security checkpoints.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency would also remain operational but could face constraints if a prolonged shutdown coincides with a major disaster. FEMA administers a $7 billion contingency fund, and agency officials have previously told Congress that a catastrophic event during a funding lapse could test the limits of available emergency resources.

Unless lawmakers reach an agreement before funding expires, the lapse will mark at least a temporary shutdown of DHS operations beyond those deemed essential, with negotiations set to resume when Congress reconvenes later this month.