← Back to Stories

US DHS partial shutdown funding negotiations and political deadlock in Congress

2 hours ago2 articles from 1 source

Consensus Summary

Congress is deadlocked over funding the Department of Homeland Security after Democrats blocked appropriations in mid-February 2024 unless Republicans agreed to reforms for ICE agents, including judicial warrants for residential arrests. The Senate passed a compromise bill on 20 March funding most DHS operations except ICE and parts of CBP, but House Republicans initially rejected it before shifting to support the measure. The shutdown—now the longest in US history—has disrupted TSA operations, causing airport delays until Trump backpaid employees via executive order on 19 March. Republicans plan to use budget reconciliation to fund ICE and CBP separately, avoiding Democratic filibusters, with Lindsey Graham’s committee leading the effort. Divisions within the GOP, particularly from hardline lawmakers like the House Freedom Caucus, threaten further delays, while Democrats accuse Republicans of prolonging the crisis. The House’s failure to act during a 21 March pro forma session leaves the shutdown unresolved, with no clear timeline for resolution amid upcoming midterm elections.

✓ Verified by 2+ sources

Key details reported by multiple sources:

  • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been without full funding since mid-February 2024, marking the longest partial shutdown in US history.
  • The Senate passed a DHS funding bill on 20 March 2024 that excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
  • House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed on 20 March 2024 to advance the Senate’s DHS funding bill, abandoning a House Republican proposal to fund all of DHS for 60 days.
  • Senate Democrats unanimously supported the Senate’s DHS funding bill, which excludes ICE and CBP funding, while House Republicans initially rejected it before shifting stance.
  • Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees faced weeks without pay during the shutdown, causing security lines at airports to stretch for hours before Trump signed an executive order on 19 March 2024 to backpay them.
  • The House and Senate are scheduled for pro forma sessions on 21 March 2024, with no clear timeline for passing the DHS funding bill.
  • Republicans plan to use budget reconciliation to fund ICE and CBP separately, bypassing Democratic filibuster threats, with Lindsey Graham’s Senate budget committee leading the effort.
  • The partial shutdown began after Democrats blocked DHS funding unless Republicans agreed to new rules for ICE agents, including judicial warrants for residential arrests and bans on wearing masks.

Points of Difference

Details reported by only one source:

ARTICLE 1
  • Mike Johnson and John Thune’s joint statement explicitly mentions ‘abandon[ing] an attempt pushed by House Republicans to fund all of the DHS for 60 days, which Senate Democrats vowed to block with a filibuster’ (direct quote).
  • Chuck Schumer’s statement accuses Republicans of ‘prolonging the shutdown’ and references a ‘split that emerged in the party last week when Johnson rejected the Senate’s unanimously passed bill’ (direct quote).
  • Hakeem Jeffries states Democrats ‘will never bend the knee’ and calls ICE a ‘violent mass deportation machine’ (direct quote).
  • The article notes the DHS shutdown began after ICE agents killed two US citizens in Minneapolis in January 2024, prompting Democratic demands for reforms.
  • Lindsey Graham’s reconciliation bill is described as including funding for the Iran conflict and elements of the Save America Act, which imposes voter ID requirements.
  • The article mentions the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)’ as the funding measure used to continue ICE operations during the shutdown.
ARTICLE 2
  • The House took no action on the Senate’s compromise bill during its 21 March 2024 pro forma session, leaving the shutdown unresolved.
  • Keith Self, a House Freedom Caucus member, tweeted on 20 March 2024: ‘Funding for ICE and CBP must never be separated from DHS funding’ (direct quote).
  • The article highlights that Trump wants the reconciliation bill on his desk by 1 June 2024.
  • Chuck Schumer’s statement in Article 2 emphasizes ‘deep division and dysfunction among House Republicans’ (direct quote).
  • The article clarifies that the Senate’s DHS bill was derailed when House Republicans initially passed their own 60-day funding bill before reversing course.

Contradictions

Conflicting information between sources:

  • Article 1 states the Senate passed the DHS funding bill ‘last week’ (implying 13–17 March), while Article 2 specifies it was passed on 20 March 2024.
  • Article 1 claims the House and Senate are on recess through ‘this week and the next,’ while Article 2 states they are on recess through next week (21 March) only.
  • Article 1 does not mention the House’s failure to act during the 21 March pro forma session, whereas Article 2 explicitly reports this inaction.
  • Article 1 attributes the shutdown’s start to ‘mid-February’ without specifying the exact date, while Article 2 ties it to Democrats blocking DHS funding after January 2024 ICE-related deaths in Minneapolis.
  • Article 1 does not mention Trump’s June 1 deadline for the reconciliation bill, while Article 2 explicitly states this timeline.

Source Articles

GUARDIAN

Partial shutdown drags on as US House takes no action on compromise deal

Senate-passed funding plan for DHS languishes despite agreement between Republican congressional leaders Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox The US House of R...

2 April 2026
GUARDIAN

Republican leaders agree to advance funding deal to end DHS shutdown

Measure that would fund homeland security but exclude money for ICE could conclude lengthy funding lapse An end to the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may be in sight, af...

2 April 2026