Administration says remaining funds for Homeland Security operations are nearly depleted as Congress faces mounting pressure to act.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The White House is warning lawmakers that funding used to pay Transportation Security Administration personnel and other Department of Homeland Security employees is nearing exhaustion, raising concerns about operational disruptions and security risks if Congress does not act soon.
In a late Tuesday memo to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget stated that funds redirected by President Donald Trump through executive actions to sustain payroll for DHS personnel will be depleted by May. “DHS will soon run out of critical operating funds, placing essential personnel and operations at risk,” the memo said.
The administration urged the House of Representatives to advance a Senate-approved budget resolution passed during an overnight session last week. The measure is intended to initiate a multi-step legislative process to restore full funding for the department.
The warning comes as House Speaker Mike Johnson continues to navigate internal divisions within a narrow Republican majority that have delayed progress on Homeland Security funding legislation. The chamber has faced repeated delays as lawmakers dispute how to proceed.
A vote on the Senate’s budget resolution is expected as early as Wednesday. Administration officials cautioned lawmakers against altering the measure in ways that could further delay its passage.
“Restoring funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has never been more urgent, as demonstrated by recent events,” the memo stated, referencing a weekend incident in which an armed individual attempted to breach the White House Correspondents’ dinner attended by the president, vice president, and senior officials.
The Department of Homeland Security has been operating without standard appropriations for more than two months. The lapse followed disagreements in Congress, where Democrats opposed funding provisions tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations without policy changes.
While immigration enforcement agencies have continued receiving funding through prior legislation—including approximately $170 billion approved as part of a previous tax measure—other DHS components, including the TSA, have depended on temporary funding measures authorized by the president.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently indicated that payroll obligations for the department total about $1.6 billion every two weeks, contributing to the rapid depletion of available funds.
Republican lawmakers in both chambers have pursued a strategy to fund immigration enforcement agencies independently, proposing roughly $70 billion in support through the remainder of the president’s term. The approach mirrors the procedural path used in earlier fiscal legislation and is expected to unfold over several weeks.
The Senate has already initiated the process and is awaiting House action. Once the budget resolution is adopted, lawmakers in both chambers are expected to begin drafting the detailed appropriations bill.
Separately, House leadership is preparing to consider additional legislation that would fund other DHS agencies, including the TSA and Coast Guard. That measure, which received bipartisan backing in the Senate last month, remains stalled in the House due to disagreements among Republicans over its structure.
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