House Republicans reject Senate deal, prolonging partial government shutdown

Airport security agents have not been paid in more than a month due to a congressional impasse, causing travel chaos across the US.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a short-term funding bill on Friday night to finance the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through May 22, 2026. This move comes amid a prolonged DHS shutdown, now in its second month. Tensions have heightened between House and Senate Republicans after House GOP leaders opted not to consider a Senate-passed bill that would have reopened the entire DHS, excluding funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Senate, having entered a two-week recess, now faces the decision of whether to reconvene in Washington to address the House-passed version of the bill. The legislative impasse leaves the future funding of DHS uncertain.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has decided to introduce a 60-day continuing resolution (CR) to fund the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), instead of proceeding with the Senate-approved bill that excludes funding for ICE and CBP. This move, agreed upon during a meeting with the House Freedom Caucus, is expected to extend the ongoing DHS shutdown, which has already lasted over five weeks, as the Senate will now need to review and approve the House bill. The Freedom Caucus has conditioned their support for DHS funding on the inclusion of provisions for voter ID laws and additional funding for border patrol and investigations into child sex trafficking under ICE. However, due to prolonged Senate disagreements over ICE and CBP funding, the House proposal is unlikely to resolve the impasse. Meanwhile, House GOP leaders are organizing a conference call to discuss next steps.

A late-night vote by the U.S. Senate has advanced a bill to mostly reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), marking significant progress toward ending a 42-day government shutdown. The legislation, introduced by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, provides funding for most DHS sub-agencies through September, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The shutdown has caused major disruptions, particularly at airports, and delayed pay for hundreds of thousands of security personnel. The bill now moves to the House, where Democrats have shown support for a similar measure. If passed, future negotiations will center on ICE and CBP, which are under scrutiny following controversial enforcement actions that resulted in civilian deaths in Minnesota earlier this year.

House Speaker Mike Johnson publicly criticized Senate Republicans over Senate Majority Leader John Thune's proposed two-step plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling it a 'joke.' The disagreement revealed significant tension between GOP leaders in the House and Senate, which had been minimal during the first year of former President Trump's second term. Johnson instead pushed for an eight-week short-term DHS funding extension, reportedly backed by Trump, despite the Senate being largely unavailable to act on it. Johnson's alternative is expected to pass more easily through the House, while Thune's approach suffered an immediate and public collapse. The incident underscores ongoing legislative friction and the often turbulent path of Congressional deal-making.

As of late March 2026, severe airport disruptions and long security lines have erupted nationwide as U.S. senators attempt to resolve a funding standoff that has partially shut down the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The shutdown, which began in mid-February, has primarily affected Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operations, with over 3,200 workers missing shifts and hundreds resigning. Democrats refuse to fund DHS unless significant limitations are imposed on controversial immigration enforcement tactics linked to two citizen deaths in Minneapolis. A new proposal under discussion aims to fund major DHS functions like TSA and Customs and Border Protection, but excludes Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) controversial enforcement operations central to President Trump's agenda. Though progress is being made, disagreements persist, especially among Democrats who demand more reforms to ICE. Federal immigration officers have been deployed at airport checkpoints, further escalating tensions. The administration recently replaced Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with former Senator Markwayne Mullin, who has shown willingness to support judicial oversight of home searches. Meanwhile, travel chaos continues at airports in Houston, Atlanta, and New York, with Delta suspending special services for lawmakers. Ongoing negotiations may lead to a compromise, but significant hurdles remain.

A bipartisan deal in the Senate aimed at partially funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) collapsed on Friday, revealing a major rift between top Republican leaders in Congress. Senate Majority Leader John Thune had negotiated for weeks with Democrats, ultimately settling on a bill that excluded funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol but dropped Democratic demands on immigration limits.

Speaker Mike Johnson has triggered a political crisis by rejecting a Senate-passed bipartisan bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), calling it a 'joke' and insisting Senate Republicans hadn't properly reviewed it. The Senate, controlled by Republicans, passed the bill by unanimous consent to quickly end a government shutdown before leaving for a scheduled recess.

In response to staffing shortages caused by a partial federal government shutdown, the Trump administration deployed ICE agents to assist TSA officers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and 13 other airports nationwide, sparking controversy over the move.

Due to the prolonged government shutdown, Delta Air Lines has suspended its VIP services for members of Congress, including access to a special booking desk offering discounted fares, same-day tickets, and last-minute changes, highlighting the operational impact of the shutdown on airport services.