The United States Senate failed for the fifth time on Friday (March 20th) to pass a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), resulting in a partial shutdown of the department lasting over a month since February 13th.
As the budget impasse continues, major airports across the United States are experiencing an increase in absenteeism among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, leading to prolonged security screening times for many travelers.
The procedural vote resulted in 47 in favor and 37 against, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed to end the filibuster. Similar votes were held on March 12th and February 24th in the Senate, but failed to pass as well.
The Democratic caucus is currently refusing to support a comprehensive funding bill that includes the budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), unless the administration agrees to reform immigration enforcement policies.
In an effort to break the deadlock, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer plans to introduce a standalone bill on Saturday focusing solely on funding for TSA, attempting to uncouple airport security from the more contentious immigration enforcement budget.
Schumer stated on the Senate floor, “Tomorrow, America will see clearly: which senators want to restart TSA, pay employees, and end the chaos at airports, and which senators will once again block funding for TSA.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune also highlighted the urgent need to address the airport queue problem.
“This is a disaster for everyone,” Thune said. “People are lining up at the airports. This problem needs to be addressed, there needs to be an outcome, and now there is finally sincere effort on all relevant issues.”
Efforts to resolve the impasse escalated on Friday. White House Border Affairs Chief Tom Homan met with a bipartisan group of senators for a second consecutive day. Thune noted that there is “room to reach an agreement” in discussions with the White House.
Congress is expected to begin a two-week Easter recess at the end of this month. Thune warned that if the funding bill remains stuck, he will call on senators to stay in Washington and continue the session.
Thune emphasized, “If the government is still in a shutdown state, I don’t see a possibility of us having a break.”
Among the 10 reform conditions proposed by the Democrats are limiting enforcement actions to targeted actions, requiring judicial warrants before entering private property, ceasing wide-scale or indiscriminate arrests, raising search warrant standards, verifying citizenship before detention, and mandating law enforcement officers to wear identification on uniforms and banning the use of masks.
Democrats also hope to prohibit enforcement actions in “sensitive locations” such as schools, churches, medical facilities, courts, childcare centers, and polling stations.
In response, White House Border Affairs Chief Tom Homan pointed out that threats against enforcement officers and their families have increased by over 150%, necessitating the use of masks to protect personnel.
Homan stated in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” “I don’t like masks either, but due to the 1500% increase in threats against ICE officers…these men and women need to protect themselves.”
Currently, the Department of Homeland Security relies on administrative warrants, and federal immigration enforcement officers are not required to carry body cameras. However, outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently announced that law enforcement officers in Minneapolis will begin using body cameras.
Homan also mentioned that the use of administrative warrants is allowed under federal law.
Although the core operational funding for ICE and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been secured until 2029 under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed previously, the blocked funding bill covers several key security budgets, including:
– Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): $5.7 billion for operational budget.
– Secret Service: $3.25 billion for security preparations for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
– Transportation Security Administration (TSA): $7.96 billion, including $300 million for checkpoint system maintenance.
– Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): $2.6 billion for cybersecurity and election security.