The Senate approved a bill that would fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies early on Friday morning. However, the proposal did not include funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.
Now, the measure will go to the House for approval after a lengthy battle over the partial DHS shutdown.
From The Hill:
Senators agreed by unanimous consent early Friday morning to a proposal that funds the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other critical agencies in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The late-night Senate deal left out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol after negotiators failed to agree on reforms demanded by Democrats after federal immigration officers fatally shot two protesters in Minneapolis in January.
The deal came together swiftly after months of often-stalled negotiations and just before lawmakers were set to depart for a two-week recess — and as hours-long lines at airport TSA checkpoints put enormous pressure on them to act.
Senate leaders sent around a hotline request to senators early Friday morning to see if there would be objections to funding the TSA, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) by unanimous consent. The proposal also included funding for customs officers at border checkpoints.
When it returned without objection, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) moved quickly to unanimously approve the funding that had been stalled for more than 40 days.
The Senate passed a bill early Friday morning to fund all parts of the Department of Homeland Security, except for ICE and parts of CBP, a critical step toward ending most of the 42-day long DHS shutdown.
— ABC News (@ABC) March 27, 2026
What You Need to Know is streaming on @DisneyPlus. Stream now:… pic.twitter.com/gfHae3GdWP
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Republicans essentially gave up on funding the entire department because Democrats refused to accept proposed ICE reforms Republicans offered. He told reporters the debate “was all about reforms, and they were all on the table” and the “door kind of closed and they started to take funding [for ICE] off the table.”
🚨 BREAKING OVERNIGHT: The US Senate has PASSED a bill funding most of DHS following President Trump’s executive order to pay TSA workers using other funds
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 27, 2026
However, ICE and CBP are NOT funded.
DO NOT let Dems get away with that. pic.twitter.com/r4q16NX9Ns
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) did a victory lap, saying Democrats “held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump’s rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms.”
This development comes after six weeks of gridlock in the Senate. The partial DHS shutdown caused long lines at airports during spring break travel. President Donald Trump on Monday began deploying ICE agents at airports to help shorten wait times for air travelers.