Senate Unanimously Approves DHS Funding Deal That Excludes ICE in Shutdown Breakthrough

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The Senate unanimously approved a funding package Friday to reopen the Department of Homeland Security after a 40-day shutdown, backing a deal that excludes money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and setting up a high-stakes battle in the House.

The measure passed by voice vote at 2:20 a.m. ET on Friday, following a marathon negotiating session, as lawmakers scrambled to ease mounting disruption caused by the shutdown.

The deal would fund most of DHS, but strips out provisions for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and for Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The breakthrough came hours after President Donald Trump announced he would order immediate pay for TSA officers, many of whom have missed paychecks, triggering severe airport delays that stretched up to four hours.

The road to an agreement exposed deep divisions between parties over immigration policy, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) warning Democrats would continue pushing to ensure enforcement programs “do not get more funding without serious reform,” adding the deal was “exactly what we wanted.”

Republicans and the White House had resisted calls to limit Trump’s immigration agenda. Instead, lawmakers carved out ICE funding for a separate vote, one Democrats have already blocked.

The package now heads to a Republican-controlled House, where Speaker Mike Johnson could fast-track the bill or face pressure from conservatives opposed to splitting immigration funding from the wider DHS budget.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!