House Passes Bill for Partial DHS Funding

The House voted Thursday to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security but not its immigration enforcement operations, sending the bipartisan package to President Donald Trump to sign and ending the longest agency shutdown in history. The White House warned that temporary funding Trump tapped to pay Transportation Security Administration and other agency personnel would soon run out.

DHS has been without routine funds since February 14.

More than 1,000 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began, according to Airlines for America. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut proposed the bill more than 70 days ago. The House voted by voice without a formal roll call to pass the measure.

The standoff began months ago after Trump’s deadly immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. U.S. citizens by federal agents occurred during protests against the immigration actions in Minneapolis.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol without changes to those operations. The Senate unanimously approved the bipartisan package a month ago. Rep. Johnson of Louisiana called the bill a 'joke' last month.

House Republicans adopted a budget resolution on a 215-211 party-line vote late Wednesday. The budget resolution is focused on eventually providing $70 billion for immigration enforcement and deportations for the remainder of Trump’s time in office. Trump’s term ends in January 2029.

Rep. Johnson acknowledged after the vote that he had trashed the bill before. Rep. Rep. Congress approved $170 billion as part of Trump’s tax cuts bill last year.