The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday to fund the Department of Homeland Security and end a weeks-long partial shutdown, with four Democrats joining Republicans in supporting the measure.
The bill cleared the House by a 221–207 vote, mostly along party lines, and would fund DHS operations through the end of the fiscal year. Most Democratic lawmakers opposed the measure, citing disagreements over immigration enforcement policies and oversight provisions.
The legislation comes amid an ongoing standoff in Congress that has left the department partially shut down for several weeks. Funding lapses have affected several DHS activities, including some training programs and grant funding, though essential personnel such as airport security officers and Coast Guard members have continued working.
The Democrats voting in favor were Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, the Washington Times reported.
“But the Senate shot down a similar measure earlier Thursday in a 51-45 procedural vote that fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance it. Only one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted with Republicans,” said the outlet.
Supporters of the bill said the measure was necessary to restore full funding for border security, cybersecurity operations, and emergency preparedness programs. Opponents argued that the legislation did not sufficiently address concerns about immigration enforcement practices and oversight of federal agents.
Lawmakers from both parties have continued negotiations as the shutdown dispute remains tied to broader debates over immigration policy and the role of federal enforcement agencies.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been shut down since February 14 when its temporary funding expired. However, agencies under its umbrella, such as FEMA and the TSA, are considered essential, so their employees have been working without pay. Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, also under DHS, has furloughed some of its employees.
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, Oklahoma Republican, said on the House floor Thursday that the funding is “critical…at such an important time for our country.”
“Shutting down the Department of Homeland Security over [a] partisan fight hasn’t changed the stakes, but maybe knowing how critical it is to keep the homeland safe at this heightened moment, Democrats will side with reason and protecting the nation,” Cole said, per the Times.
“Shutdowns are never the answer. I know my colleagues think that by shutting down the government, they are somehow punishing Donald Trump for winning the election, but President Trump is not the one feeling the pain of the shutdown,” he said.
“They are punishing the TSA agents who are working hard to keep their community safe, they’re punishing FEMA employees who are trying to help Americans fighting through these winter storms, they are punishing the cybersecurity analysts at CISA who are combating constant threats to our infrastructure and electric grid,” he added.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democratic appropriator, called the push for the bill to pass “political theater” and “a cynical attempt to extract more funding for lawless agencies because of a crisis that the president has created without an imminent threat.”
“If Republicans were serious this week we could have funded every agency under the Department of Homeland Security except for ICE and for CBP and I will not vote for another dime for these agencies until we get the reforms that the American people want and stopping these agencies for terrorizing these communities,” she said.
ICE detention and deportation operations under the Trump administration have been generally well-received by the American public, according to surveys.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, said during a press gaggle on Wednesday that “everybody in America better watch” to see who votes against the funding.
“Anybody who votes to block funding for the homeland, it is shameful,” Johnson said. “I don’t know how to describe it. It speaks to a long record of Democrats’ deliberate efforts to undermine America’s safety and the essential operations of DHS.”
