President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill to resume funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending an 11-week partial government shutdown. The House of Representatives passed the Senate-approved proposal by voice vote on Thursday.
The bill notably excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson initially opposed the measure for omitting these agencies but eventually brought it to a vote after Trump voiced support.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin welcomed the bill's passage, blaming Democrats for the shutdown. “To be clear, this Democrat shutdown NEVER should have happened,” he wrote on X, thanking DHS employees for working without pay.
The partial shutdown had left several DHS departments operating on fumes, causing long lines at airports where many Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents worked unpaid. Concerns also arose about potential disruption to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren called the bill “welcome news” but stressed the need for Congress to rein in ICE and CBP. “Now Congress needs to work on reining in ICE and CBP and holding them to the same standard to which every cop in America is held,” she said.
The impasse was partly triggered by federal immigration crackdowns in Minnesota, which led to the killing of two US citizens in January. Democrats issued demands to reform ICE, including banning agents from wearing masks and prohibiting racial profiling. Republicans rejected these as unreasonable.
The Senate passed a compromise DHS funding bill without ICE in March, but Johnson held it up for over a month. Republican senators are now attempting to secure funding for ICE through a complex budget process known as reconciliation, which can overcome the filibuster.
Trump has called on his party to eliminate the filibuster altogether—a risky move that could benefit Democrats if they regain control of the Senate. The shutdown highlighted the ongoing partisan battles over immigration and government funding.
Source: www.aljazeera.com