Senate approves partial funding for DHS as Congress tries to catch up with Trump
Congress has moved to partly fund the Department of Homeland Security after Democrats shut down the payroll for employees at multiple agencies because they oppose President Donald Trump’s work to secure the nation’s border and crack down on illegal alien criminals inside the U.S.
Their politics did little other than create a hardship for employees of the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and others, as their payroll shutdown did not impact Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, which still remain funded with roughtly $75 billion in cash from President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” from last year.
The move comes as Congress tries to catch up with President Donald Trump, who said “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer” is “ON THE SIDE OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,” and that’s not where Trump is willing to put himself.
“The Radical Left Democrats, and their ‘Leader,’ Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, have made it very clear where they stand, and that is, ON THE SIDE OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. They are refusing to fund Immigration Enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their Open Border Policies, which will never, ever happen again. They almost destroyed our Country, allowing 25 Million People to enter from Prisons, Mental Institutions, and Insane Asylums, those that are Drug Dealers, and thousands of Murderers, many of whom killed more than one person. Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do! Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” the president wrote.
Fox reported the Senate advanced a last-minute deal for funding for DHS components, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and TSA.
Democrats have targeted ICE and CPB because those are the agencies enforcing America’s border laws and detecting and arresting illegal alien criminals, agenda points which have left Democrats enraged.
They have demanded a long list of changes to the law that essentially would put ICE agents under the thumb of local judges whose politics very often have, and likely would again, put them in direct conflict with Trump’s enforcement of the federal law.
The new plan in the Senate, which must face House scrutiny now, allows no funding for ICE and Customers and Border Protection, but also has none of the “reforms” Democrats have been demanding, like requiring judicial warrants to arrest known criminals, or requiring agents to unmask, allowing often violent protesters to identify them and target them and their families.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said, “We’ve been trying for weeks to fund the whole thing. And, I mean, in the end, this is what they were willing to agree to. But again, it’s different that it has zero reforms in it. I mean, they got no reforms on DHS, which they could have had if they had been willing to work with us a little bit on that.”
Schumer claimed the bill was what Democrats wanted, even though they got none of their demands.
Thune said, of the $75 billion allocated for ICE and CBP a year ago, Republicans had anticipated Democrat intransigence.
“I mean, one of the reasons we front loaded, pre-loaded up the ‘one big, beautiful bill’ with advanced funding for Homeland Security was because we anticipated this was likely going to happen, and it did.”
Democrats also are demanding federal law enforcement create open zones for criminals in schools, churches and many other locations, which also is not happening.
The Democrats’ impact has been harm to the families of DHS employees who haven’t been paid for seven weeks, the American public which has seen huge slowdowns in airport security lines, and more.
ICED-OUT: Congress is one step closer to ending the Homeland Security shutdown after the Senate advances a new, last-minute deal, but it comes at the price of Republicans ceding ground on funding for ICE and portions of Customs and Border Protection.
The bill must pass the House… pic.twitter.com/APBulbmSD7
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 27, 2026
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
However, ICE and CBP are NOT funded.
DO NOT let Dems get away with that. pic.twitter.com/r4q16NX9Ns
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 27, 2026