The U.S. House of Representatives passed a temporary funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) late Friday night, but the move is likely to extend a weeks-long budget impasse that has already caused major disruptions at airports across the country.
The stopgap bill, which would provide full funding for the entire DHS—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol—for eight weeks, passed by a vote of 213 to 203. House Republicans pushed the legislation after refusing to consider a bipartisan deal approved earlier by the Senate. That Senate version would have funded most DHS operations, such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but left out money for ICE and Border Patrol.
The disagreement centers on immigration enforcement. Democrats have demanded reforms to ICE, which has faced criticism for its aggressive tactics under President Donald Trump’s deportation policies. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the House bill “dead on arrival” in the Senate, saying Democrats would support critical homeland security functions but would not give what he described as a “blank check” to Trump’s immigration efforts without changes.
House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the Senate’s approach as a “joke,” arguing that it failed to secure the U.S. border. He said he had spoken with President Trump, who supports the House position. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but Senate rules often require some Democratic votes to pass spending bills, making compromise necessary.
The funding lapse, which began in mid-February, has left thousands of TSA officers working without pay for weeks. This has led to long security lines, flight delays, and increased stress for travelers during the busy spring travel season. At Houston’s international airport, for example, lines stretched far into the terminal, and staff handed out water to waiting passengers.
In response to the crisis, President Trump signed a memorandum on Friday directing the DHS to find a way to pay TSA employees immediately. The department announced that officers should begin receiving paychecks as early as Monday, March 30. However, the broader partial shutdown continues, and other DHS workers remain affected.
The stalemate has also taken a toll on the TSA workforce. Nearly 500 officers have quit, and unscheduled absences have risen sharply since the funding issues started.
Both the House and Senate are now heading into scheduled recesses—the Senate for two weeks and the House already beginning its break—which means any resolution could be delayed even further. For a bill to become law, both chambers must pass identical versions and send it to the president.
This latest vote highlights the deep divide between the two parties over border security and immigration. While Republicans insist on fully funding enforcement agencies to carry out Trump’s priorities, Democrats are pushing back against what they see as unchecked power. Until lawmakers reach an agreement, the disruptions at airports and the strain on federal workers are expected to continue.
