Lawmakers in the United States failed to reach an agreement on the federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the funding deadline expired on February 13th. The Senate’s bipartisan members did not come to a consensus on the funding bill on the 12th, leading to a looming risk of a government shutdown for the department.
On Thursday, the senators from both parties were unable to strike a deal on the federal funding bill for the DHS. Following the final vote that day, the senators left Washington, with plans to return to Congress on February 23rd.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune mentioned that despite two weeks of extensive negotiations between the two parties on the funding matter, they have not reached an agreement. This stands due to the Democratic Party’s demand for comprehensive reforms within DHS sub-agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal immigration enforcement agencies.
This situation indicates that the Department of Homeland Security faces at least a 10-day shutdown, affecting several of its major subordinate agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Earlier this month, Congress passed a funding bill that allocated funds to 96% of the government departments until September 30th. However, as part of this bill, funding for the DHS was only extended until February 13th.
Following the passage of this bill, lawmakers immediately engaged in negotiations concerning the DHS funding bill. Progress has been slow, as the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the Democratic Party’s proposed reforms as conditions for supporting the bill.
On February 12th, the Senate voted down a motion to provide full-year funding for the DHS, marking the failure of the last effort before the recess.
In a vote of 52 to 47, with all Democratic senators voting against, the motion didn’t meet the required threshold of 60 votes, as Republican Senator Mitch McConnell was absent from the vote. Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on social media that the Democratic Party would oppose the bill.
Republican Senator Katie Brit proposed a two-week extension of DHS funding, which was rejected by Democratic senators, with Chris Murphy leading the unanimous rejection.
Prior to this, two protesters died during immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis, raising concerns about immigration enforcement regulations. Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed in January for allegedly ramming law enforcement officers with a vehicle and resisting arrest with a weapon, respectively.
Following these incidents, Democratic Minority Leader Schumer stated that the Democratic Party would not support the DHS funding bill until federal immigration enforcement reforms were implemented.
Despite ICE being at the core of the funding dispute, its operations are unlikely to be substantially affected by a government shutdown. Republicans previously approved a $75 billion funding allocation for the agency over four years, ensuring its operational funding independence from the overall DHS budget.
Additionally, most ICE personnel are considered critical for national security, thus they are expected to remain on duty during a partial government shutdown.
Conversely, agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are expected to bear a greater impact during a government shutdown.
While the TSA will maintain operations with essential personnel like airport security officers required to report to duty, historical data indicates that TSA staff absenteeism tends to rise during government shutdowns due to essential staff not receiving pay. This could lead to longer queues and increased waiting times at airport security checkpoints.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), responsible for major disaster emergency response in the United States, will also be affected by the shutdown. Despite managing a $7 billion emergency fund, FEMA leadership has warned Congress that a prolonged government shutdown may deplete the fund, posing risks in responding to catastrophic events.
This standstill in federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security reflects the ongoing political deadlock over immigration reform within the US government, raising concerns about the impact on national security and emergency response efforts in the face of potential budget uncertainties.